“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! (Psalm 103:1, ESV)

     I love surprises, most of the time. Some surprises are more welcome than others. The sight of a deer walking through the backyard is a pleasant surprise. Though a deer walking through the backyard eating my flowers is not.

     Recently, I received a surprise pleasant waiting for me in my office. The gift bag contained a book about hippos. I am a big fan of Fiona and Fritz, the star attractions at the Cincinnati Zoo.

     They make the life of a hippo appealing. They can eat as much as they want and no one murmurs about their weight. As far as hippos are concerned, the chubbier the better.

     One simple gift put a smile on my face throughout the day. I felt blessed. The book is wonderful. The thought behind the gift is even lovelier.

     Like my personal gift-giver, King David sought ways to bless God. So often the prayers we offer are requests for blessing. This particular form of prayer isn’t a bad or selfish thing. God enjoys blessing His people.

     Yet the practice of blessing God isn’t as much on our minds as it could be. I don’t think there is much we can do to surprise God. However, I do believe it possible to make God smile.

     I believe that God smiles when we take a few moments out of our day just to check in and have a conversation. I also believe that God smiles when we let the person with only five items go ahead of us in the grocery line. I’m confident that God smiles when we offer understanding to the family member who seeks constant attention. Likewise, I’m convinced that God smiles when  we extend a gift of support to the least and the poorest among us.

     Personally, I like making people smile. Even more, I like the thought of making God smile. I’m certain that Fiona and Fritz do so every day. Hopefully, it should come to you as no surprise that you can, too.