GOD SMILES


A little boy wanted to meet God but didn’t know where God lived.  So the boy packed his backpack with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started out on his quest. When he had walked a few blocks, he met an old woman who was sitting in the park watching some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his backpack. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gracefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so appealing that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she returned the favor by smiling at him. The boy was delighted! Together, they sat all afternoon eating and smiling. 
 
As darkness fell, the boy realized it was time to go home, after taking a few steps; he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy arrived back home a short time later, his mother was curious about the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!”
 
During the same time, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I had Twinkies and root beer in the park with God, and you know, he's much younger than I expected.”
 
This encounter of the young boy and old woman reminds me that the love of God, lived out in the lives of His people is powerful! While you and I will likely never be mistaken for being God, we know that God lives within us through the Holy Spirit and wants us to show His love to others. A lot of folks are desperate for someone, anyone, to love them. Christ commands us to love others! “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” —John 13:34-35
 
You just never know when something as simple as a Twinkie, a root beer or even a smile offered in Jesus’ name could just make all the difference in the world to someone else! 

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