Growing in Love

In a recent devotional time, I ran across words from Mother Teresa, from her book A Gift for God. Here is what she says...

"Some peoople came to Calcutta, and before leaving, they begged me: 'Tell something that will help us live our lives better.' And I said: 'Smile at each other; smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other--it doesn't matter who it is--and that will help you grow up in greater love for each other.'

"And then one of them asked me: 'Are you married?' And I said: 'Yes, and I find it difficult sometimes to smile at Jesus.' And it is true, Jesus can be very demanding also, and it is at those times when he is so demanding that to give him a big smile is very beautiful."

Oh, how true that seems to be. At auspicious moments in my life, needed smiles made a profound difference in my day. As a college student, I was walking across campus between classes. Lonely in a sea of thousands of others fluttering to and fro, I felt as if no one even knew I existed. Then a smile. It was anonymous but genuine and lasted for a few brief seconds. But it made my day, for I knew I was not alone. More recently, I received a smile from my wife Heather. Trying to keep our head above waters in the cluttered transition of packing and moving, we sat down to take a break. When our eyes met, there was her beautiful smile. There were no words, but then there didn't need to be. Her smile said it all--"I love you. Even in the midst of the flotsam and jetsam of packing, preparing for another life change, I am there with you, not begrudgingly, but willingly and with a thankful heart." Smiles from others truly make a difference.

Smiles from Jesus make a difference too. The difficult part for me, though, is smiling back. Though I know his amazing love for me and am convinced of his tangible, active work in my life, there are times when I can barely muster a thankful glance, much less a semblance of a smile. And I begin to wonder: Is my heart hardening, or am I becoming dead to the touch of his grace? Why do I struggle with this? Where do I get the power to smile at Jesus?

I am reminded of John's words, "We love because God first loved us." We smile, because he first smiled at us. What peace that brings, knowing that through receiving the blessing of his presence and the animating power of his Spirit, we can indeed smile back.

Smiling,
JON