"Glad and joyous and sweet is the Blissful lovely Cheer (countenance) of our Lord to our souls. For He [be]holdeth us ever, living in love-longing: and He willeth that our soul be in glad cheer to Him, to give Him His meed (reward)."
Julian of Norwich (Ch. 71)
What do we see when we look upon the face of Christ as He gazes on us? What does His countenance look like? We see "blissful lovely cheer." We see a smile for us, we see absolute joy about us, and we see pure sweetness of manner. He is always looking at us and His look is always one of love and delight. He is always smiling at us. He is always happy to be with us, happy with us. He is always radiating the fullest love we could ever imagine. In that one look, we know we are home. We know we are cared for as we have always longed to be. We know we are His forever. For Christ see us living here on earth in love-longing, that is, longing for love. Every person innately longs to be loved. And since God is love, what we are all longing for is God Himself. He is the love we have waiting for and longed for. Christ wants us to see that He is loving us continually, unconditionally, fully and infinitely. We are held in the gaze of love, a love that is brighter than a thousand suns and deeper than the deepest sea. What He wants is for us to see that love and rest in it, be happy in it. He longs most of all for our happiness, for our sheer joy, for our smile. Parents wait for weeks to see their newborn baby's first smile. And when they finally see that little one smiling up at them, it gives them so much joy. They love seeing their little one happy, love knowing that their little one is responding with joy to their love. And so it is with Christ, who longs to see a smile on our face and says that is all the reward needed for all the work that was done to birth us into endless life! The kingdom of God is righteousness, pure goodness from God that lets you know He fully accepts and approves of you, and it is also joy and peace for us, being completely happy and completely safe and at rest. God wants us to be satisfied with His goodness, at rest, full of joy, and happy in Him for always. He loves us more than anything and wants us to be freed to revel in that love and be full of smiles!
"May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."
Numbers 6:25-26 (NLT)
"God’s kingdom consists of God’s approval and peace, as well as the joy that the Holy Spirit gives."
Romans 14:17 (GW)
A Prayer: I love to know You are always smiling at me. I'm smiling back!