Living Under His Smile
What does it mean to be blessed? Lately, I’ve ben using the word blessed a lot. Blessed by the people God has placed in our lives. blessed by our new home, our new church family and this new season of live and heard one of my pastors say that “being blessed is to have the smile of God on your life.”
Being isn’t merely about what God has given me or great circumstances, it is about whose side I’m on, whose presence I’m pursuing, and whose smile I’m living for.
And I want to live under the smile of God.
The Smile of God Doesn’t Mean I Get Everything Right
I do things every single day that grieve the Holy Spirit.
I have thoughts that don’t honor Him. Responses that are less than gracious. Heart attitudes that creep in before I even recognize them.
Sometimes my words get ahead of my love. Sometimes my pride gets ahead of my humility. And sometimes, if I’m being really transparent, I simply want my own way.
But here’s where I find the blessing.
The blessing isn’t that I never wander. It’s that my Heavenly Father loves me enough to nudge me back onto the narrow road of His grace.
A gentle conviction. A whisper to reconsider my words. A nudge to apologize. A reminder to extend grace when I’d rather withhold it.
And sometimes that nudge isn’t quite so gentle because I’ve been a little too determined to go my own way. 😉
Yet even His correction is an expression of His love.
The longer I hang out with my Heavenly Father, His Son, and His Holy Spirit, the more I recognize the things that grieve His heart.
Not because I’ve become exceptionally good at being good.
Quite the opposite.
Because I’ve become increasingly aware of just how much I need Him.
And the closer I draw to Him, the more I want my life to look like His.
When Familiar Words Land Like the First Time
We’ve been studying Romans at our new church, The Grove in Liberty Hill, Texas.
And today, I found myself returning to words I’ve probably read dozens, maybe hundreds, of times throughout my life.
But isn’t that one of the beautiful mysteries of God’s living Word?
You can read a passage over and over, and then one day, it lands in your heart as though you’re hearing it for the very first time.
Today was one of those days.
Romans 12 practically leaped off the page.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
— Romans 12:9–10 (NIV)
And then Paul continues with what feels like a beautiful, challenging description of a life lived on God’s side.
Keep your spiritual fervor. Serve the Lord. Be joyful in hope. Patient in affliction. Faithful in prayer.
Share with those in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you.
Rejoice with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony. Don’t be proud.
And then come these words:
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
— Romans 12:17–18 (NIV)
Whew.
That’s not just a nice collection of inspirational sayings.
That’s a way of life.
And it’s one that doesn’t come naturally to our flesh.
Being on God’s Side Changes How We Love People
It’s easy to talk about loving people.
It’s another thing entirely to love sincerely when someone disappoints us, misunderstands us, offends us, or simply doesn’t behave the way we think they should.
It’s easy to rejoice with someone when life is going well for us, too.
It’s harder when we’re waiting on an answered prayer of our own.
It’s easy to be hospitable when it’s convenient.
It’s harder when hospitality costs us time, comfort, or something we’d rather keep for ourselves.
And blessing those who persecute us?
Well, Lord, we’re going to need Your help with that one!
But that’s precisely the point.
We were never meant to produce the character of Christ through sheer willpower.
We’re meant to abide in Him.
To allow His Spirit to shape our hearts, soften our responses, and transform our attitudes.
The more time we spend in His presence, the more His ways begin to influence our own.
We begin to recognize when our responses are coming from wounded pride instead of love.
When our words are motivated by the need to be right instead of the desire to be righteous.
When we’re protecting our preferences instead of pursuing peace.
And when we recognize those things, we have a choice.
Will I cling to my own way?
Or will I cling to what is good?
Living Worship Beyond Sunday Morning
Earlier in Romans 12, Paul urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, calling this our true and proper worship.
And I can’t help but see the connection.
What if our worship isn’t only expressed through the songs we sing on Sunday morning?
What if worship looks like holding our tongue when we’d rather have the last word?
Choosing humility when pride comes knocking?
Opening our home and hearts to someone who needs a place to belong?
Praying for someone who has hurt us?
Celebrating another person’s blessing without comparing it to our own?
Offering forgiveness?
Making peace?
What if the way we love people is one of the most visible expressions of our worship to God?
I think Romans 12 gives us a pretty clear answer.
And here’s my little addition to Paul’s beautiful instructions:
This is our physical expression of worship. And, of course, cover it with love. 😉
That last part is mine, not Paul’s!
But I think you know where my heart is going.
As Far as It Depends on You
Of all the words in this chapter, Romans 12:18 feels especially worth carrying into everyday life:
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
As far as it depends on you.
Not as far as it depends on them.
Not when they finally apologize.
Not when they see things your way.
Not when they become easier to love.
As far as it depends on you.
That doesn’t mean we can make every relationship peaceful. It doesn’t mean ignoring evil, abandoning healthy boundaries, or allowing someone to continue harming us.
It means taking responsibility for the part of peace that God has entrusted to us.
Our words.
Our attitudes.
Our actions.
Our willingness to forgive.
Our willingness to listen.
Our willingness to love even when love requires courage.
We can’t control another person’s heart.
But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can surrender our own.
More Than Blessed Circumstances
So yes, I am blessed.
Abundantly.
And I’m deeply grateful for this beautiful season of life. The moments when the Holy Spirit catches my attention before my attitude becomes an action.
The moments when I realize I owe someone an apology.
The moments when I’m reminded that being right isn’t nearly as important as being loving.
The moments when God gently redirects my steps toward the narrow road.
And the moments when I choose His way over my own.
Not to earn His love or approval. Jesus has already made the way for me to draw near.
But because I love Him.
Because I want to honor Him.
Because I want my life to reflect the One who has so graciously loved me.
And because, more than anything this world can offer, I want to live in the light of my Heavenly Father’s smile.
Not a smile reserved for a perfect daughter.
But the loving smile of a Father who is faithfully transforming His daughter to look more like His Son.
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the blessing of Your presence, Your grace, and Your loving correction.
Give me a heart that recognizes what grieves Your Spirit and the humility to respond when You call me back to Your ways.
Teach me to love sincerely.
To cling to what is good.
To honor others above myself.
To remain joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
Help me to bless instead of curse, forgive instead of retaliate, and pursue peace as far as it depends on me.
Let my words, my attitudes, my hospitality, my relationships, and my everyday choices become an offering of worship to You.
May I never mistake favorable circumstances for the fullness of Your blessing.
Above all, let me be captivated by Your presence and transformed by Your love.
And may the people who encounter me catch a glimpse of Your smile.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love God. Love People. Cover It With Love.
“Above all, love each other deeply…” — 1 Peter 4:8
COVERITWITHLOVE.COM
Living loved. Loving on purpose. Leaving a legacy of love.
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