{"id":1383,"date":"2012-06-11T15:10:24","date_gmt":"2012-06-11T19:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/smalltownamerica\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2012-06-11T10:47:09","modified_gmt":"2012-06-11T14:47:09","slug":"your-secret-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/smalltownamerica\/2012\/06\/your-secret-weapon.html","title":{"rendered":"Your Secret Weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that you had a secret weapon?\u00a0 God gave each of us\u00a0one and its very easy to use.\u00a0 It doesn&#8217;t cost any money to activate it and not much personal effort to put it to good use.\u00a0 This isn&#8217;t a weapon of mass destruction or ever a weapon of mini destruction.\u00a0 It is not meant to harm or disable in any way.\u00a0 It is designed to bring hope and peace.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m talking about your smile.\u00a0 We all have one, but some\u00a0 of us have forgotten how to use ours.\u00a0 Did you know that it takes more muscles and energy to frown than it does to smile?\u00a0 It&#8217;s true.\u00a0 A smile can be like a wonder drug to someone who is sick.\u00a0 It can be a touch of love to one who is discouraged.\u00a0 It can offer hope to one who is depressed.\u00a0 It can even bring joy into a whole group of sad sacks, because smiles are contagious.<\/p>\n<p>To smile at a stranger on the street sends the message,&#8221;someone knows I&#8217;m alive and they care&#8221;.\u00a0 To smile at a frightened child, helps them feel secure and like they have a friend.\u00a0 When you come upon a serious accident scene, you can encourage an injured person with a smile and a few words of hope. The ways we can use this secret weapon are countless, but they really matter to the one on the receiving end of those smiles.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t ever feel that any situation is too desperate for you to make a difference.\u00a0 Your smile is a beautiful gift from God.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t waste it.\u00a0 Use it to change the world around you.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that you had a secret weapon?\u00a0 God gave each of us\u00a0one and its very easy to use.\u00a0 It doesn&#8217;t cost any money to activate it and not much personal effort to put it to good use.\u00a0 This isn&#8217;t a weapon of mass destruction or ever a weapon of mini destruction.\u00a0 It is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":420,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,14,36],"tags":[42,72],"class_list":["post-1383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-encouragement","category-inspiration","category-just-for-fun","tag-choices","tag-smiles"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - 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