Walk With Me

Have you ever seen someone from afar and watched how they interact with people and think, “I want to know that person.” I have. And it’s typically at church that I find those people. What draws me to them? You can see their heart through their body language.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how to do one simple thing more often and that is smile. I am guilty of not smiling enough, and one thing that shows joy is smiling. Where does joy come from? The Lord. So what does this say about my heart? Well, I’m not going to sit here and say I’m not a joyous person because I try to be. But I will say I do not wake up every day with the mindset of, “this is a day the Lord has made.” That verse comes to mind when thinking about being joyful but also Mark 12:30-31, “And you shall love the Lord God with all your heart and of all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” I touched on “loving God with all your mind” yesterday but I want to discuss “loving your God with all your heart” today.

Joy comes from the Lord, we know that. But how do we remain joyful in our everyday lives when things keep happening. How do you keep that smile on your face? I think the biggest part of what keeps us smiling is our love. Love your God and love your neighbor. These are the commandments Jesus gives us above the others. These are the most important because through these, the rest follows. If we are so occupied with loving God, we have our eyes fixated on His glory, joy will come naturally. And what comes from joy? SMILING. Be that light that others will see and be drawn to. Imagine what would happen if you remained that joyous person you are at church in your workplace? How many people would be drawn to gravitate toward you like a plant gravitating to the sun for life?

There are so many people in this world looking for sunlight to live. All they see around them is darkness. If you watched Erika Kirk’s message 2 days after her husband was shot and killed, you could see the joy she had, despite her immense grief, because of her love for God. I think many of us looked at her that night and thought, “How do I have strength and love like that?” I want to encourage you all, as I’m encouraging myself, to intentionally smile more this week. I want to know what happens when I show my pearly whites more to my neighbors. Love your God with all your heart by loving your neighbors. Have joy in the Lord. Have contagious faith. Be a person a stranger would want to come up to and talk. Lead with your heart.

With love,

Courtney McKean