You Know…It’s Alright To Smile At Church

Some of my friends and I used to go to McDonalds a lot when I was in college. At this McDonalds, there was an item on the menu that was free:

“Smiles are Free!” It said it right there on the menu.

It cracked us up! Generally we’d get to the window and the person wouldn’t be smiling. Go figure. We’d tell them that we forgot to order something, which generally annoyed the fast food workers. Then we’d say, “we’d like to order a few smiles…” and immediately the workers faces would light up. Some of the workers were puzzled because they didn’t even know it was on the menu, and we’d have to explain it to them. But in the end…we ended up with a bunch of “free smiles,” happier people, and a better day for everyone.

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I also used to go to a Jack-in-the-Box once in a while near my home to grab some fast food. Every time I got to the window, I’d see a poster on the wall inside. It had this one little saying on it that I’ll never forget:

“Smiles…” it said, “never go down in value, or up in price.” 

[Tweet “Smiles never go down in value or up in price”]

(Are you getting an idea of how healthy my eating was in my younger years?)

I think sometimes we’re too glum in the way we worship. Maybe it’s just a personality thing, and I know everyone is different, but we’ve got to allow ourselves to enjoy our time at church, in meetings, and everything related to the gospel. We should allow ourselves to have more fun and to smile more often.

Why is it…that it seems like so many people feel the need to wear a solemn face when they go to church? Church is not something that we need to always be so serious about. Our callings, responsibilities, and time at church should never produce more anxiety in life.

Church is designed to be a place where brothers and sisters and friends come together to share things of happiness with each other and the result should be happy smiling faces. It’s a celebration of a selfless act, from a selfless Savior who died so that we could be hopeful and happy instead of hopeless and glum.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be serious and reverent at times. The sacrament especially, is a time of deep personal reflection and gratitude for an ordeal in Gethsemane and Golgotha that is not fun at all to think about. I also understand that sometimes we get emotional and cry. Most of the time, those are tears of happiness and gratitude.

My grandma died a little over a year ago. She lived with us for almost my entire life. Her life was not easy. Not by any stretch of the imagination was it easy. It must have been at times, very hard for her to smile. I miss a lot of things about her, but what I miss the most from her was the relentless reminder for me to “be of good cheer.” Every stinking day of my life…I’d come downstairs to leave the house and there she was…with a slight grin…saying, “be of good cheer Gregory.”

I used to kind of hurriedly brush it with a “yeah ok…Grandma…whatever you say,” and now I look back and see that the command from Christ Himself for us to be of good cheer was something she might have had to remind herself every day of her life. Because of her example, I’ll never forget Doctrine and Covenants 68:6. Ever. It is a commandment that is too often overlooked and neglected.

From the days of being 21 years old, surfing everyday, and just barely becoming acquainted with the gospel and it’s teachings, I realized something very important. That is…that the gospel is cool! The doctrine is cool! The hope it brings is exciting, happy, and bright. The way that the restoration answers questions and sheds light on the darkest nooks and crannies of human thought is amazing to me.

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For that simple fact alone, we should be happy to see each other at church whether we know each other or not. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked down the hall and passed by someone without even an acknowledgement. There have been times when I have smiled at a person passing by in the hall, and in return…a face of stone. No smile, no hello, nothing. And I’ve wondered to myself…”what if I was a lonely investigator…just trying to make a friend?”

The light of the gospel should shine in our faces. Our smiles are the conduit from which we can transfer some of that light to others.

If across the board, and as a church we improved just one aspect of our discipleship…that of smiling more, I believe it would do more good for missionary work and reactivation worldwide than anything else. Smiles are infectious, and people are drawn to your smile. They want to know why you smile…why you’re happy…and what makes you tick. Then they’ll want to be around you and all of the other people who lift their spirit with their smiles.

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7 thoughts on “You Know…It’s Alright To Smile At Church

  1. Gregory

    To this I say we as churches are not praising the Lord at church as instructed. Psalms 150 gives us permission to make some serious noise (smiles included) praising the Lord in His sanctuaries (church).
    1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
    2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
    3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
    4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
    5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
    6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

  2. Ryan_NZ

    When I’m nervous about giving a talk or conducting a meeting, I love to pick out those in the congregation who are smiling up at me. It is a great pickup and helps ease the nerves. I also try to do that for those who are speaking or teaching – especially when I can tell that they may be nervous. Smiling is contageous – spread it!

  3. Desiato

    Great post, Greg! It reminds me of something I heard just today during F&T meeting: “This ward is like my family. I come here and you love me like my literal brothers and sisters.” Coming to church should be like going to a great family reunion every week!

  4. Marguerite Hart

    When I am teaching a class in RS once a month I do look for the smiling faces and it is very encouraging when I find them, sadly on the flip side there are one or two ladies who always look disapproving and sour and it is so disheartening. I ask myself often is it me or the way I am teaching the lesson? Those questions make it hard to prepare for the next lesson. As for my own attitude I do make it a point to always smile at everyone and greet them as they enter the chapel and I make it my business to introduce myself to any new faces I see. If I was coming to visit for the first time at an LDS church it would make all the difference in the world to me to be noticed and warmly welcomed.

  5. J Peters

    Smilingca great form of service. I love going out and smiling at everyone and seeing their faces light up when they see my smile.

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