Psalm 146:5 – Happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. (NLT)

When I was a little girl, we headed to the Smokey Mountains in October to enjoy the beauty of the trees in their fall dresses. I quickly discovered how much fun it was to wave at the people who sat rocking on their front porch. They always waved back as if they knew who I was and were really glad to see me. I soon learned that it wasn't just me they waved to, but that was okay; I was still happy.

It also works well to wave at the engineer of a passing freight train or the passengers in a boat passing by, but when driving around town, have you ever tried waving enthusiastically to a person you happen to pass whom you don't know? The other day, I experimented with waving at strangers, and guess what I discovered? No one knew how to wave back! I wanted to stop, get out of my car, and explain how much fun it can be to play the waving game. I wanted to tell them that smiling and waving is good for us.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store; neither the cashier nor the person bagging my items smiled, though I smiled at them. As I headed for the door, in passing, a young employee had a big, genuine smile on her face, and she said, "Have a nice day!" I stopped in front of her, thanked her for her beautiful smile and greeting, and told her that my day would be better because of her.

Some days are more challenging than others, and we may not always feel like smiling and waving, but the rewards are worth the effort. Scripture reminds us:

Proverbs 15:13a – A glad heart makes a happy face. (NLT)

Nehemiah 8:10b – Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! (NLT)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we be diligent to share with others the joy which we experience through knowing You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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