During the years of Covid restrictions, we were forced to do something we’d rarely done before: wear masks. And we learned that masks present some unique challenges.
We learned that we can't always determine a person’s expression when they're wearing a mask, and we all missed smiles.
People can “mask their emotions” when not wearing masks, but Covid forced all of us to mask our emotions at times.
I love how God designed the smile! A way to express our joy without speaking a word. Even better—smiles cross all cultural and language barriers.
Proverbs 15:13 tells us that a sincere smile comes from a happy heart:
“A happy heart makes the face cheerful.”
Psalm 34:5 explains that a Christian smile comes from joy in the Lord:
“Those who look to [the Lord] for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”
And Proverbs 17:22 tells us that smiles have emotional benefits:
“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
The “years of the mask” gave us a Romans 8:28 reason to rejoice: we learned to better appreciate God’s gift of the smile.
Bible Love Notes
I miss the smiles also but I look at the eyes and can see a smile or a nod of a head to express a smile and am reminded of smiles not seen but still present when we really take notice.
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