When We Wear A Smile, What Does It Really Say???

[Spirit]

This may be a crazy conversation, but you will soon learn one thing about me, I tend to see things in a crazy way : )

After debates with my husband regarding what is and is not appropriate for a woman to wear, and as the Spirit has worked in my life, I have let some things go...But now the debates has moved from the clothing I wear on my physical body, to the smile I wear on my face.

Now, my husband says that due to my "friendly-ness", my ability to never meet a stranger, my ability to give everyone the benefit of the dought, can be translated in the mind of a man as flirting. After going back and forth about this issue, I decided to conduct an experiment. For one week I walked around town, conducted business, meeting people, getting gas, in my usual manner. By speaking to everyone, smiling at everyone, acknowledging everyone. And what I notices was, yes there would be times when I would have to stop a man in his tracks to let him know, no, I am not hitting on you or responding to you in a "I am interested" way, I am acknowledging you out of love. And I have to say, it was more times than not that a man misinterpreted my kindness as an open invitation.

The next week, I made it a point to change my behavior, not speak or smile to anyone, not have a inviting spirit, and it was a horrible experience. I will say, not one man approached me. But I felt bad inside for that entire week.

So what did I learn from the experience? It's important to me to treat people with kindness and love. And if any actions are mis-understood, I have no problem clearing up the mis-understanding. I, by no meens, am trying to send off signals of flirting. Why can't I just be kind to people and people understand I am only being kind??? Being a Christian, to me, is loving. But so many people make that hard to do, by being rude, or wanting more.

Oh well, like I said, when I am alone and conducting my business or running errands, I can't help but to be kind and offer a stranger a smile. But when I am with my husband... I leave the smiling to him.


What do you think? Why are we viewed as flirting, when the Word of God says to love???

~First

btw, this all happened while I was dressed appropriately. So it's not always our clothing that draw the attention of men, it could be our "Spirit".

[Candice Houston]

i want to be as frank as possible. the term "wearing a smile" has one opperative word, wearing. as soon as you can put it on, you can take it off. we wear things to hide whats really there, in most cases. i believe God wants us to praise him at all times and i choose to give him some praise with my smile. i really believe though, that most people who see this smile believe that life for us is a beautiful as the smile we wear. wiser people know different.

[Spirit]

I feel there is so much power in a smile. so many people are so busy in the world that to receive a smile is almost unheard of. i also think of a smile as praising God because it releases love. and again, if you look at society today, people are lacking more and more love, meaning less smiles.
you keep smiling.

i am.