Brad Hall: HALL THINGS CONSIDERED: Bring smiles to others by living a joyful life

May 26—Since my last column was over 1,600 words, I'll try to keep this one short and sweet as I just want to briefly share one of the sweet things my son does.

From the time he was an infant until now, my wife and I will often catch Jaxson laughing in his sleep.

Of course, as a baby it was very precious, but even as a 3-year-old we still find it adorable and amusing.

Just the sound of his laughter is sweet enough but it always makes me wonder what it is he's dreaming about that tickles him so much.

He could be thinking about one of his toys or one of the cartoons he watches.

But I like to think he's having fun in his dreams playing with his mom, dad, grandparents or friends.

I like to think that even though we make him do things he doesn't always want to do, that he still loves us enough to have little dreams about all of the fun we share.

As Christians, I believe it's often our desire to have others think of us fondly as well.

It's not a matter of pride or a popularity contest or anything like that, but more so the hope that people see joy in us and, most of all, that people see Jesus through us.

When others think about us, they should think about someone who is uplifting and think about someone who truly lives to glorify God.

If ugliness and sin are the first things that come to mind, it might be time to take a step back and ask ourselves if we're living for the Lord or living for something else.

Acts 13:47 says, "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth."

It always brings a smile to my face when little Jaxson laughs in his sleep. Let's bring smiles to everyone by living a joyful life for the Lord.