Smiles Are the Best Medicine

It's been an emotionally charged weekend to say the least. Saturday night I watched To Save a Life. I remember wanting to see it when it came out last winter, and never had the chance to. The synopsis: "Jake is the most popular kid in school and has a promising future, but his world is rocked when tragedy strikes his childhood best friend. Now Jake is forced to ask, 'Could I have saved him?' With help from a few new friends, he embarks on a journey to live a life of purpose, knocking down the sacred social barriers of high school life and befriending a loner, Jonny Garcia. But when Jonny's life spirals out of control, will Jake have what it takes to stop him from the same tragic end? Can one person really make a difference?"

I know, it sounds like your typical "Save me" story, right? But it's not. And considering that the issues this film covers are up close and personal to me, I really think it's a call to Christians and non-Christians alike. For Christians, it's a call to step up our game; to be intentional; to recognize and ultimately love each and every person around us. Smiles are the best medicine, aren't they? They can conceal almost anything going on in life, which are normally the things that bring our lives swirling and twirling down to the ground. But for non-Christians, it's a call to recognize a need for Christ that we all have. Sometimes we just need to hit rock bottom before we recognize that the only one who can solve our problems, love us for who we are, and heal us in every way, is Jesus. This life of following Christ has nothing to do with being perfect, but everything to do with being broken and admitting the need to fall on your knees for Jesus. It really is about asking, "What can I do?" Let me tell you-- it's so easy to feel like one measly little person in the midst of nearly seven billion-- but we're capable of so much more than we are aware of. I used to tell myself, "You're going to travel the world someday and make a difference." I mean, I defined difference as living in some foreign country and, oh, bringing medical care to people or something. I never thought that smiling at someone or asking them about their day-- asking, "How are you REALLY doing?" would be making a difference. My eyes were once again opened this weekend and I found the source of this passion-- serving those who are in opposition without a voice, the depressed, the hopeless-- that only comes from Jesus. I praise Him that I overcame because of Him, and that I am able to look back at my experiences and fall to my knees in surrender.