The Blessings That Came With a Smile

When I was assigned to my permanent unit after enlisting in the Air Force, my commanding officers asked me the same question whenever I met with them.

“What were you doing before you enlisted?”

My answer never changed.

“I had been studying the Bible to become a pastor in the Church of God.”

During the twenty-one months I spent fulfilling my military service, God taught me many lessons and helped me realize what I would need to become a pastoral staff member.

My daily schedule varied according to the flight operations. If there were flights at dawn, my workday began before sunrise. If flights were scheduled late at night, I had to remain at my post until into the night. On top of that, I was responsible for administrative duties, so I often began my day before the others in my unit and finished long after they did. Day after day, I had to handle a wide range of responsibilities on my own—driving, escorting new recruits, and countless other tasks—and gradually became exhausted.

Then I remembered the words, “Let us be smiling prophets.” Recalling God’s teaching that we are children of laughter like Isaac, I resolved to keep smiling in every situation and to be a positive influence on those around me. Amazingly, simply choosing to smile made both my body and mind feel lighter and lifted my spirits. Thinking of God, who is always by my side, and of the Zion members faithfully serving in their own places filled me with renewed strength. I found the energy to work harder and was able to carry out my duties without growing weary.

Seeing my attitude, one of my commanding officers said, “I’m amazed that you always have a smile on your face despite the demanding workload. Just hang in there a little longer until your replacement arrives.” However, due to administrative delays, months passed before a replacement was assigned to me, and I ended up working alone far longer than expected. Instead of complaining, I chose to see it as an opportunity to learn patience and approached every task with joy. When my replacement finally arrived, we divided the workload and helped each other carry out our duties.

As my workload became more manageable, I was finally able to attend Sabbath worship at a Zion near the base. Since I left the base every Saturday to attend worship, people around me began asking, “If you’re going out for religious services, why do you always go on Saturdays?” Some of the soldiers who learned about the Sabbath became interested in the truth and listened attentively as I shared God’s word about the Passover, God the Mother, and other biblical truths. Encouraged by their interest, I continued preaching the truth, and before my discharge I was able to share God’s word with every soldier and commanding officer in my unit. Through that process, two of my fellow servicemen received the blessing of becoming God’s children. Several others said they wanted to continue studying the Bible or visit the Church of God, and I have remained in touch with them even after I was discharged.

Looking back, despite my resolve to be a child of laughter, there were many days when smiling was the last thing I felt like doing. Even so, remembering what I had learned in Zion, I willingly took on even the most difficult tasks with the confidence that God would ultimately bless me. In return, He gave me even more reasons to smile. Through it all, I have come to deeply feel the love of God, who prepared every step of my journey and refined my faith. I give thanks to God for always leading me along the right path, and as a child of laughter, I will continue to share His love wherever I go.