Smile vs frown

There is a song by Lilly Allen called “Smile.” This is really a song about revenge while smiling. In the Canadian parliament I hate the smile of the Fake Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. There is a girl I know who may not be the prettiest girl but her smile is killer. A smile can go a long way, but can we tell a lot about a person by their smile?

If I go to car dealership you will always get a smile. After the sale you get even a bigger smile. Is it genuine or are they smiling all the way to the bank? I have met a former Prime Minister and he smiled at me as we shook hands. Was it genuine or was he smiling all the way to the country’s top office. I read a story called “The White Tiger” where the writer is sarcastic about the Gods we worship. He says prayer is kissing the ass of about 36,000,005 Gods of our choosing. I love God but does he smile if I try and kiss his ass in prayer.

At work I have come back from delivering mail and someone has asked me if I’m ok. I guess I lacked a smile. funny thing is that I was happy the day was over. My face showed fatigue and I wanted to go home. They read on my face something that was not there. With our politicians it feels like it’s the same thing. Behind the smile is something else. Maybe we genuinely have mistrust for people. I know a guy who always says the Lord is good but behind his life is hell. I have seen Pastors smile while treating people horribly behind the scenes. The smile mask might be all it is.

It appears there are about ten types of muscles to frown or smile with. People rate us on the use of those muscles. Their day and our day hang in the balance of the smile muscle. People can use these muscles to eat, laugh, boo a player, and talk. Yet, we care way more about the frown and smile. Is it that we genuinely are concerned for a person’s day. A campaigner smiles to gain votes. A weather forecaster smiles to gain viewers. Geesh, even a news broadcaster can smile during a crisis. What a tool we have to manipulate people.

What does God have to say about smiling? The big one is in Numbers 6. The Benediction of the Lord hopes God will smile his face upon us. We are asked to put on a cheerful face towards people. The Bible has been quoted as an unhappy book because there are just one or two verses using the word smile. They say Jesus never smiled, yet all his pictures have him smiling. If God is love, as they say, then God must smile right? Jesus laughed but they did not write about it right?

There are proverbs that say it’s healthy to smile. I am amazed that there are not many verses using the word smile. That word might have been replaced with Joy. It’s interesting that a man wrote the Bible in modern language and inserted the word smile a lot. I believe the whole point to God is the smile. He wants to shine his face upon us. He wants joy in our hearts. It brings him pleasure when we worship him. It brings us pleasure in the Lord. The Bible is the hidden smile book.

We are masters of the fake smile. I have had Christians smile at me while looking for a way out of a conversation. I look directly at a person when I talk because of that very thing. I have said things will be good but not today. A frown does not have to mean doom. Maybe your tired or weary? Appearing to be happy is rotten. Wear your real face instead of a fake mask. It’s not all bad if things are less than stellar. We live to fight another day.

I do love genuinely happy people. When they spout nothing but happiness I get sick of that. It’s totally fake to just be happy. Life never works that way. We have ups and downs of smiles and frowns. Hopefully we smile more than we frown. Being in a championship game can make you smile. losing the game might invoke a frown. Your still happy, but it flows in degrees. Would it be better off we had a rating on our head like a mood ring? I’m a 10 today and a 6.5 on the happiness scale tomorrow.

          We seem to know a fake smile. why is that. We hardly ever notice a fake frown. Is there a fake frown? Maybe over the years we know a frown is genuine and a smile can be fake. We love clowns because they smile and make us laugh. I totally know people who are afraid of smiling clowns. I’ll admit that a killer likes to smile. I have smiled and frowned at the weather. I guess it’s important to use your muscles wisely. Smiling is good. Just do it for the right reasons.

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