Have you ever counted how many different types of smiles there are? Hmm . . . don’t try. You will probably lose count if it’s true that we’re capable of over 200 different smiles as some people claim. While there’s no conclusive study that tells us for sure how many smiles exist out there, it’s safe to say many experts agree there are more than a dozen different ones.

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote, “One can know a man from his laugh, and if you like a man’s laugh before you know anything of him, you may confidently say that he is a good man.”

Solomon made a similar observation, but stated in the negative, in Ecclesiastes 7:6, “A fool’s laughter is quickly gone, like thorns crackling in a fire.” You can tell a fool from his hollow laughter.

The secret for having a good smile or laugh is found in Ecclesiastes 8:1. It is wisdom that changes the inner disposition of a person. Wisdom “softens the hardness.” Have you ever watched somebody whose life was under the impact of the Spirit of God soften, mellow, and grow easier to live with? That is the work of the Spirit of God.

Ray C Stedman says, “ Grace—not grease—is what makes the face shine. Manufacturers put grease in cosmetics to make the face shine artificially, but it is grace that does it from within. Grace and the joy results from it visibly expressed make a face shine.”

A good laugh cannot be manufactured. It is a result of an inner change wrought by the Spirit of the living God.