Q.	My teacher keeps me and my friends after class because we won’t smile. Sometimes there is just really nothing to smile about. What should I do? Ka-Yin, 11 British Columbia
A.	Life can be difficult, and it’s easy to understand why you might not want to smile all the time. But it seems strange that your teacher is keeping you and your friends after school trying to turn your frowns upside down. Maybe the teacher sees something you don’t. Does your group make negative remarks or not participate in class discussions? Or it may just be that your teacher likes everybody to be cheery. Next time you’re kept after, remember what Proverbs 15:13 says, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.” When we think about all God has done for us, our hearts (and faces) should overflow with the joy of the Lord. As Christians, we always have something to smile about because of Christ. Our happiness and love should be contagious. Mother Teresa said, “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” That’s good advice. Besides smiling takes just 17 face muscles, compared to 43 for frowning. So when you think about it, smiling is more than twice as easy to do!
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