‍When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. Job 29:24 NIV

It was one of those days.

The weariness of motherhood had taken its toll.  Baby food smeared on the high chair, toys strewn all over the floor and a spiritually deprived soul all added up to one tired mama.  But I pushed through.  After feeding my nine month old daughter, I took her out of the high chair and placed her on the floor to play with her toys.  Exhausted, I wiped down the counters, threw in a load of dishes and began sweeping the floor.

“There must be more to life than this,” I thought.

Just as I went to put the broom away, I turned around to check on my daughter.  Lying on her tummy, she looked up at me and did something that made my day.

She smiled.

Her toothless grin instantly melted my cares away.  Suddenly things seemed tolerable and I enjoyed my day rather than dreading it.

In the midst of your thirteenth load of laundry, mountain of dishes and lengthy to do list lie the little moments that make motherhood worth it.  The best things in life come in the form of toothless grins or the contagious laughter of your child being pushed in a swing.  These are the moments that make life a little more bearable.

It’s easy to respond to life with exhaustion and weariness.  But responding to life with a smile can change your perspective.  Job of all people had a reason to be mad at his circumstances. But Job chose to respond differently.

Job’s smile not only allowed him to choose joy in spite of his circumstances, it allowed him to shine God’s light so that others could see Him more clearly.

Responding to life with drudgery is easy.  Responding to life with a smile can change someone’s life; maybe even yours.  Give it a try today and see what happens.  Share your experience here at the Café.

Lord, may our smiles not only brighten others’ days, but help Your light shine brightly.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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