It’s almost Father’s Day. This is a great time to honor the men who have impacted your life. If you are like me, I no longer have my earthly father to love on and appreciate, but there are other older men and my husband that I can honor on this upcoming day.
Here is one way to brighten anyone’s day. It’s time to play a game and guess what it is.
Did you guess what it is?
It is a smile.
One of the greatest joys in my everyday living is smiling at people. I smile at the clerk at the grocery store as I tell them to have a blessed day. I smile at the bank teller and deliver the same message of blessings. I smile to everyone I pass along this pathway of life just to shine the light of Jesus in this dim world.
Granted, there are days when I just don’t feel well or am extremely tired, and the corners of my mouth may not turn upward like other days. However, I always try to make an effort to share a smile with someone along the way.
Remember that some people are too tired to smile, so give them one of your own since no one needs a smile so much as the person that doesn’t have a smile to give. In doing so, you will brighten this world a little more with the gift of a smile.
Gail loves the Lord most of all. She delights in her calling to be a wife to Ed Malick and a mother to seven children and grandmother of 19. Ed is the sixth generation on the homestead family farm in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.
Seeds of Hope
When Paul Harvey, the beloved news commentator, was asked the secret of his success, he gave a simple, powerful answer: “I get up when I fall down.” Nearly everyone, even the greatest, falls down. The difference between those who succeed and those who stay defeated is not whether they fall – it is whether they get back up.
No one illustrates this better than the apostle Peter. His name is mentioned more often than any other name, except our Lord’s. Jesus spoke more often to him than to any other disciple. When he was called to be one of the twelve, he left everything to follow Jesus. He even declared that he would die for Him. What commitment!
We also read that when he was walking on water, he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. At the Last Supper, Jesus said that one of them would betray Him. Peter declared that under no circumstances could he ever deny Jesus. But before morning he denied his Lord three times. When he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink. When threatened, he denied his Lord. But when he fell, he confessed, repented, got up and the Lord transformed him. He became one of the most valuable of the twelve apostles.
Falling does not disqualify us. Staying down does. When we fall, we need to get up, confess, repent and go on with God!
Today’s Prayer: Father, when we fall, lift us. Strengthen us, sustain us and enable us to overcome in Your strength. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today’s Scripture: Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”
John 21:15-19
This article originally appeared on Farmers Advance: A free gift that shares the light of Jesus and lasts a lifetime
Reporting by Gail Malick, Farmers’ Advance / Farmers Advance
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gail Malick, Farmers' Advance | USA TODAY Network
