Laughter is good for the Soul

Laughter is the music that comes from Joy.
Joy comes from the Lord
The Lord says, to laugh and be joyful
So I will laugh as worship and in obedience.

I am definitely staight and serious 70% and deep in thought 18% , stamming and stumbling 10% and cluelesssly and anxiously correcting 2% of the time, so humor was (Praise and answer to pray!) usually a misunderstanding or one of my "stumbles". I never really appreciated humor or laughing, I was working to hard to catch up or learn something I did not know and wanted to be respected not laughed at, so I avoided comedy and joking and that sort of wasting time.

I was having a conversation and about every other statement the person was cracking up. As usual I did not handle it well, and my emotions started to get the best of me, they noticed and commented. "what is wrong, you have to laugh at yourself once and awhile" to which with all my grace and maturity I retorted "why everyone else does enough for me and them". They investigated into the situation, and asked don't you find this funny? to which I said, "How can this be funny it is so irritating to keep having this pattern of screwups and looking like an idiot 90% of the time and not being able to fix anything". And then they said the funniest thing that cracked the rock, which is my head and the laughter rolled. "Why do you think You need to fix anything, and screw ups are what is funny look at Lucille Ball (I loved I love Lucy, but because she made me feel smart and well behaved), and the harder you work to not screwup makes it even funnier. OH!!!!

Even bad situations can be looked back on and seen as humorous, because it reminds us that God is in control and just how "short" of perfection we are, even when conciously work at being better, we still goof. Laughter is a gift, it is a medicine.

In scripture it tells us to laugh and refrain from bitterness, anxiousness, depressed feelings, we are to cast everything at the feet of Christ. Our mistakes, our short comings, our inefficiencies, our attitude problems, our lack of ....., all of that is part of being human. Being tired, grumpy and not smiley all the time is not the sin, BUT, it is letting a foothold be established, it is a temptation, and it is the start of the blockage of your joy. Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the endo of joy may be grief. Pray, talk to the Father, he already knows, and sees you and your situation and .."will work it for YOUR good". Romans 8:28

The sin is when you open your mouth and say things that are not loving, kind, patient... then you have sinned, but just as quick as you said it you can STOP!!! Pray and repent and it is over!!

Job 8:19-21 "Behold, this is the joy of His way;And out of the dust other will spring. .....
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter. And your lips with shouting.

***Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and JOY in the Holy Spirit. (which Christ gave us at Salvation!)

Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

How to get the joy and release the blockage:
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety (worry, insecurity...) on HIM because He cares for you!

When we do not let things flow through us our attitude becomes like staggnent water, STINKY!!! but as soon we unblock the drain, our waters can flow again and our JOY returns and we can laugh even when things are troublesome, a laugh releases tension and can help those around us. So if I can laugh, you can to, and I laugh not because I try to I laugh because God changed my mind when I asked him to, He strengthened me, and His Joy is why I laugh and smile. Keep the garbage out and let the good feelings flow like a river, and when you feel dry and sad, remember to ask Him to fill you up.

These life changing transformations are available to anyone who is tired of being the kill joy of their life and those around them. The Bible is the instruction book of fixing what ails you and there are no side effects but you will become addicted and dependent on Christ, but that is returning you to your "pre-infection" state, we were created to be dependent on Christ.

Who are you? is not answered by What you do.

{Okay, I am warning you this one gets deep... If you know me you may want a kleenex, This is the long awaited answer to what upset me so much, and what the revelation was, with some added stuff from my studies. But, focus on the main message!
1. Honesty-even with yourself is hugely important and truly does set you free.
2. Friends that say the hard stuff- are worth so much, they help us get real and get in touch with the TRUTH. "Friends do not let friends lie, even to themselves"
3. The friend gets credit for standing up and saying something but, all credit for change goes to God, because He is truly the one who changes us, we just acknowledge the need and tell him we are willing to be changed.}

{encase you were wondering, I did try to be consise, but that is not my way, I am writing this firstly as an excise for myself :), and then sharing it as a step in faith and obedience. }

Whenever you greet someone new the ackward question, "What do you do or What are your interests?". It has always been hard for me to answer, and since I have been "unemployed" and out of circulation in North Carolina I really struggled to answer and sometimes just mumbled "I am a wife and mother" and left it at that. Never really had much discussion about it and never really thought much about it. Until I gave my usual answer and was met with "that's what you do that is not what are.

Tell me about you. I was speechless! {Yes, it does happen every once and awhile :) } We began to talk and wow!, I discovered a long lost friend I have not talked to or thought about in years, myself. This was going to take some thought, Who am I,? What do I like,? as it changes depending on the situation, the people involved, the needs of the group, and other things. I do not really have an answer because I adapt for the job at hand, that is what I have always done. I blend in and help out, encourage, support, listen and try to smooth conflicts because when people get mad they say things and relationships end over conflict.

People are more important than my ideas or views, likes and dislikes and if something conflicted with my only standing point, my belief in God, then I would work it out and quietly leave the situation. This was a good plan before, but all the sudden it did not work so well, it was not possible to leave every situation, commitments and responsibilty prevent exiting and sometimes not responding makes the conflict worse than if you respond, at least you kept your honesty rule. Suddenly I found myself in a spot of contradiction and major confusion; if this is the way things are done, then why is not working out. I am very selective what relationships and people I invest heavily in and what situations I get myself into so that I am prepared for come what may (Oh, that looks funny in writing than it sounds :0! ) Predicting and planning to the inth degree and avoiding all conflict, or at least as much as possible, that is truly a sensable plan, that is a worthy goal, Right??? (Never really sat back and "dissected it like that" well they say hind sight is 20/20)

Well, this is quite the AH HA moment. With the studying I am doing in psychology and what I already know this could put me on a couch for a few years. (LOL, just kidding) Conflict and confusion are results of internal disagreements and are manefested in behaviors that show an inbalance in knowledge and understanding. I knew God was the king of kings, and the creator of all things, and all good comes from God, but I did not understand that included me. These negative and lacking thoughts develop beliefs and feelings that ecpress themselves in attitudes and behaviors and left unchecked can become lifestyles and cycles of negative emotion and behaviors that are destructive to the person experiencing them but also everyone around. Some people manifest other behaviors, for me I never saw myself as equal with anyone, I could always see more in other people, sometimes they were not utilizing their knowledge and abilities but, you could tell they had "it".

I got to looking at my index cards that I use for my quiet time and I noticed a theme that God had showed me a while ago, To truly know Him, I had to trust Him and take Him at his word. And I revisited Who he says I am, His, and He is the KING, therefore I am finally a princess, I am the Kings daughter!! Whoa hoo, oh wait... my crown is in heaven, shucks, oh well, it would probably fall of anyway.. Psalms 139:14-16 has been a passage I have gone over and over since highschool.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. {Maybe, I should act like I know this????}
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. {If Gods eyes saw me and looked upon me, He must have been happy with what He saw, He created it, He was not surprised or bewildered by me, He loves me} All the days ordained for me were written in your book before on of them came to be. {This part always got me, God knew before I was born, how long I would live, My days are in his hands. This is special to me, and answers many Why's}

Never really saw the connection and the missed lesson. Never saw the replacement on my inner knowledge of who I was, and what I was interested in, with the external confirmations from others, and the eventual development of a very dangerous need and habit of looking for others validation, determination of importance and acceptance to calibrate my internal value meter.

Who determines what you are? What is your value? unlike the stock market and material things that have their value set and determined by the world and others our value is determined by the King, our Heavenly Father. We were captured and hidden in rags and dungeons but He reedemed us and just like the prodical son, He dressed us in our royal clothes and returned our birth right, which He determines not us, our choices, or anything else. He calls us by name, and says we are His, ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Many things change about us, our social standing, our living conditions, our employment, even our family dynamics but one thing is unchanging because it is decided by an unchanging God.

Good Steward versus a Packrat

Oh Man, my closets are bursting and I am so unsure why. I am not that much of a shopper, and most of this stuff is, was supposed to be some project, assignment, highly desired christmas present that was practical and useful. And yet, I have things with no real home, again.

I have purposed in my heart to go through each closet, shed and file drawer and finally just get rid of the things that are not part of our lives, regardless of why the items are here, how much they cost or how much they are planned to be used "Soon". If you can't go to the calendar and write on a square when the item is going to be used, then it is going by THIS FRIDAY, October 17,2008. Several good ideas, and projects have been waiting for time to be given to them, time that is just not available. So the items will have to go. I have developed serenity, to only tackle the things that I do have control over, my projects, the closet contents and the purchasing of future projects and those things that are outside my control cannot be worried about.

I have always referred to myself as a packrat, but after trying to explain some of my stuff today, I realized I am just a good steward and that plans have changed and storage has been revamped so that alot of stuff has been displaced and therefore, forced downsizing.

Random House Dictionary defines a packrat as a person who collects, saves, or hoards useless small items. And a steward is defined as A person who manages another's property or financial affairs, or who administers anything as the agent of another or others. A person who has charge of the household affairs of another. (A wife).

Sometimes we just have to refocus and decide that we are not going to worry about why this stuff has been taking up space for so long, and all the wasted money and missed opportunities since these wonderful projects did not get done. Sometimes it is the things that happened instead that matter. It is the kind words of our husband saying, "Don't worry about it, you tried to sell it, the money has been gone, just pack it up and get rid of it".

The reduced inventory to have to shuffle and the reclaiming of the lost space for things that really are important to the family are blessings for the sacrificed pride and money that has kept these things here all this time. If only time was as easy to reclaim, but that is why we have mercy. No regrets, just learning and moving on. :)

What a good feeling to be free, the truth, that the time needed for this stuff is just not available and it is not worth holding on to, has set us free from clutter. WEEEHEEE.. Free at last :)