Treasure Hunt 3Sample

Make ‘em Smile!

Hook

How easy is it to make someone smile? 

That all depends on who that someone is… 

For example, it wouldn’t be easy to make an anteater smile at dinner—anteaters eat 30,000 ants a day! Think of trying to catch all the ants! Then, it would be even harder to make a blue whale happy. A blue whale is bigger than dinosaur, and it’s tongue weighs as much as an elephant--and it eats 40,000,000 krill a day! It would definitely be hard to make anteaters or whales smile (hey wait--can they even smile?). By comparison, its super easy to make people smile. You can actually make people around you smile every day!

How? Jesus gave us a really simple way to:

Book

In everything, do to others what you would want them to do to you.

Matthew 7:12a (NIRV)

Look

What does the verse say you are supposed to do?

That’s right—think of the good stuff you want people to do for you—then do it for them.

But wait a minute. Have you ever felt you would rather make someone miserable instead of smile? Even though you want to obey what God said, and encourage others, let's be honest— sometimes you don't feel like doing that. Sometimes you would rather discourage people. Sometimes you just want to do your own thing.

So, what can you do when you don’t want to encourage others?

Took

First, be honest about your feelings and tell God how you feel. Go ahead, admit you want that person to feel crummy. But then, decide to obey God—instead of doing something nasty, do something kind, whether you feel like it or not. That should surprise them!

Now, take things to the next level. 

Ask God to give you His eyes for that person. That’s right, pray: “God, I want to see that person the way You do. Let me have Your eyes for them.” 

I guarantee, after you pray this, and mean it, you will begin to see that person very differently. You might even begin to understand why they are so irritating! When your feelings about them start to change, it will become so much easier to want to make them smile. 

And now here is the really cool part: Not only will they probably be happier, but you will be happier too! And that just might begin to change your day…no, change your world.

BTW, you ROCK!