Small Things

Teresa Poucher

Funny how something small and seemingly insignificant can have a profound impact on us. I read of a troubled teen who wrote, “Someone smiled at me today; I won’t kill myself.”

 

  Can a smile bring hope and solace?  Yes, and it is proven:“When you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides 1 to help fight off stress. Then other neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins come into play too. The endorphins act as a mild pain reliever, whereas the serotonin is an antidepressant.” 2  

 

  Smiling also produces a ripple effect.  So, whoever smiled at that troubled teen changed her life.  She may have decided to have a child, and then teach her children the importance of a smile.  

 

  However, what about the person who shunned you and made you feel unaccepted?  This can also be passed on, producing a ripple effect.

 

  I don’t know how God does it.  He loves us despite ourselves.  I wonder if a man who does demolition for a living takes it home with him, always looking for a weak spot to penetrate, looking for an entrance to bring destruction.

 

  My husband worked in construction most of his life, and I’ve also been around the building trades a good deal of my life.  I see flaws wherever I go, but there is a desire to fix things, always looking to help build something stronger or possibly make it look better.  So, the ripple effect continues, sometimes by just a word of knowledge.  Adam had quite a ripple effect on mankind; Jesus (the second Adam) has made a world-altering ripple effect.  

 

“For who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10)

 

“Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.” (Thessalonians 5:11 AMP)

 

  Open a door, pick something up, give a compliment. It’s a small thing — go ahead and smile.

 

 

1) Ronald L. Riggio, Ph.D. (2012, June 25). There’s Magic in Your Smile.Psychology Today, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201206/there-s-magic-in-your-smile

2) The Health Benefits Smiling. (2018) SCLhealth.org,www.sclhealth.org/blog/2019/06/the-real-health-benefits-of-smiling-and-laughing/