Do you think God ever laughs in pleasure? Can you picture Jesus laughing while interacting with people? Many of you might have difficulty seeing Divinity in those ways. Yet most of us can quickly conjure up images of God being angry or sending bolts of lightning down on us in response to our sinfulness.
If we humans are created in God’s image and He gave us the full range of emotions, don’t you suppose His emotions also included joy that overflows into laughter? I do. In fact, I think it would be profitable for all of us to take a few moments and imagine God smiling at us in love and pleasure. Galatians tells us that we are God’s handiwork and just as He reviewed His works of creation as recorded in Genesis and said, “It is good,” I believe He looks at us and is pleased with His work of creation.
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us in Ecclesiastes 3: 4 that there is a time to laugh. St. Iraneus wrote that the glory of God is man fully alive. I believe that a fully alive individual knows how to laugh!
It is appropriate for all of us to stop and evaluate our ability to laugh and have fun. Sometimes life’s painful circumstances have taught us that we don’t deserve to have fun. Religion can teach us that fun isn’t holy. If you are one of those individuals who have difficulty playing and having fun, today is the day you should begin to challenge that mindset. Allow God to bring healing into your heart through fun and laughter.
Laughter is an important part of life. Proverbs 17: 22 says that “A merry heart does us good, like a medicine.” Laughter brings healing. It is music to our souls. Laughter connects our soul and spirit.
So today I want to make you smile and laugh!
The following is a clip from our children’s presentation at church on Dec. 20. The little star of this clip is Caleb Bullard, son of Todd and Amy Bullard. Todd and Amy weren’t sure Caleb would actually go up on the stage, but oh, did he ever. He not only went up on the stage, he took over the stage. His performance seems to have said, “Here I am world! Enjoy me!” I rather think God loved seeing his little son enjoy himself. This clip doesn’t show his full body which would have made it even better if you could have seen his little side steps, but click away and smile.
2009 is gone, and I have awakened unto 2010. I stop this morning to reflect on 2009 and look forward to 2010. As a matter of accountability, I’ve already looked back at the goals I set for 2009 to see how I did in regard to them. I am pleased. 2009 was a year of continued change for me. Certainly I didn’t score 100% but in my blog, Welcoming 2009, I notice that I gave myself permission to resolve to resolve imperfectly! So I did not fail. Read more...
I sit here at the beginning of a new year, coffee in hand, heart full of emotion, meditating on the new year and the old year. Time is a dimension I can’t control. Marked by days and weeks and months and years and decades and centuries. Marked by seasons. Telling a story. On wide-screen the world marches by. And there in midst of a world full of human stories is each one of us and our story.
As I reflect on 2008 and look forward to 2009, I bring with me the fullness of my story. Lessons learned. Moments of glory. Moments of failure. Moments of pleasure. Moments of pain. Seasons of beauty and seasons of struggle and grief.
I usually don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because I am not very good at keeping them, and I don’t like to fail. When I do make resolutions, they are so typically normal.
1. Lose weight
2. Exercise more
3. Budget my time and money better
And on they go…
But this year I am making a new kind of resolutions. Not in a particular order. I am giving myself permission to resolve to resolve imperfectly. Here they are:
1.Make time to enjoy life
2.Focus on what makes my heart come alive
3.Spend more time with people and less time on tasks
4.Play more
5.Care more
6.Be kinder to myself for I am human
7.Be kinder to others for they are human too
8.Breathe deeply
9.Smell my coffee
10.Eat slowly
11.Care for my body because it has to last for a long time
12.Enjoy the treasure of my family, my friends, and my spiritual community
13.Listen to more music
In 2009, I hope my story will become less of conquering lists of jobs and goals and more about living each moment with an awareness of the work of God in humanity –beginning with mine.
I made it to the mall today by 6 a.m.Some of the stores opened at 4 a.m., but I was afraid my angel would not be awake by four so I slept in. I didn’t set my alarm clock since I am an early riser.I awakened at 5 a.m. and headed for the coffee.Before 6 o’clock, my daughter Kara Beth and I were at the mall along with most North Alabamians.
Last night, I protested a little.“Let’s don’t go this year. I’m tired. Let’s don’t get up so early.There’s nothing I really want.….”Kara Beth said, “Oh, Mom, you know you don’t mean that.”And I suppose she was right.I have been a part of the “Day After Thanksgiving” morning ritual for years.I have taught my daughter how to operate in the shopping anointing.It is one of my stronger giftings – you think I jest – just ask my friends.I have most of my Christmas shopping finished by March every year making the most of my dollars. I don’t know if the anointing is receivable by the laying on of hands, but I will be glad to offer lessons to those of you who aren’t as skilled.Read more...
Have you ever heard the old saying, “Me thinks thou doth protest too loudly”?
It’s from Hamlet….
I guess it kinda means this: If you protest too loudly about an issue, it indicates that there is something unseen inside you that you are covering up or perhaps haven’t been truthful about.
I mused on that thought this morning. Last night I was having a discussion with my husband, Eddie, about a situation that is driving me nuts! The details of the situation are mundane, at best. Just not a big deal. Who cares anyway? But I knew that the reaction within me was saying, “There is a big deal within you. There is a reason this bothers you so much.” So I asked Eddie to give his opinion. He had told me this weekend that I was psychobabbling him so I used his terminology and said, “I give you permission to psychobabble me.” Well, perhaps I didn’t totally agree with his assessment but it was a profitable dialogue.
I would love to share the details of the situation so that you could be amused at how insignificant it seems, but the details would identify the guilty – I can’t even tell the story and change the names to protect the innocent as the old television show Dragnet’s opening narration would say: “Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” Read more...
