Do you laugh?

Does laughing make you feel silly?

Advent – the letting loose of the chains and exalting to Christ who has come

There was a time when before I knew Christ that when I saw how serious a Christian was about going to church and reading the bible that I wondered if they enjoyed life at all. I, at the time, was living a life without God. I thought I was on cloud nine full and fancy free. NOT SO! I thought of Christians as people who were pruned sucked and stuck without happiness at all. Shriveled up and stuck on rules. Funny how I understand now.

Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan,

is the gigantic secret of the Christian.

–G.K. Chesterton

When she was small she was a blond, wild haired girl, full of go. She would jump into anything feet first. Everything she did was with done with everything she had. She is still that way except now she likes to change that hair a lot. She plays hard, works hard, and when she laughs; SHE LAUGHS HARD and whenever I am with her, so do I. Her name is Joy and she is my sister. I admire this joy in her. It’s a gift from God to me. I am naturally …a little like the pruned sucked and stuck without happiness at all, shriveled up and stuck on rules. Until I remember. See, I am a enneagram type 1. I am a serious minded person and if I am not careful I can get too serious and suck the life out of myself and everything. I must keep joy present. The joy of the Lord is my strength. If its not…

You know the type, those who are wearing angry eye brows and all like Bert on Sesame Street.

Over the years the Lord has been teaching me to laugh, to enjoy in life and enjoy those in it with me. I found that my silly bone had grown a lot since joining the youth group. I just stepped down from serving as coordinator after 7 years. This silly wild in me is a thing I hid and didn’t reveal outside my own home and to close family. I remember it being there as a small child but as I grew I struggled, and I still struggle – Lord teach me to laugh even more!

Laughing takes the worry out

washes it clean away

worry pulls the face to the ground

joy raises it up to the heavens in thanks

Every year at this time the stress comes piling on in our lives. The cash flow at times so low. The bills still the same and sometimes higher. The expectations to buy presents. One year, I was so disgruntled with that kind of living that I chose to change what I did and get prepared to be a giver. I did a 52 week challenge that year and I had a very peaceful time. (Maybe you’ll want to start that challenge in Jan. 2020) Work with what ya got! Right? My Grammy always said, “If you have an imperfection, work with it?”

That year I had no stress, no worries! I gave myself the expectation of: I get to give!

I get to give this year full and free again and I am excited about it.

Now, to take more lightly the stress of decorating ..lol its so much work! But this year, I have a grand baby! So, I prepared and bought an ornament that we can dip her little hand in paint and put her print on the ornament. Is it perfect, no but its hers and that’s perfect.

Journal this or a least ponder and lift your thoughts to God:

Where are the areas of stress for you during this Advent season? How can you prepare and work with the imperfection that you see? Name 3 joys in your life?

All is grace,

Starla