A Smile A Day...

Ahhh, the release of laughter. It has been a stressful few days over here. Not to bore you with the details, but I've got two daughters who have decided to see who can out-whine each other, a husband who is trying to balance his work as a teacher, his hobby as a shepherd (it's lambing time again!), and his crazy wife who won't let him get a moment's rest here at home. And then there's me, the aforementioned crazy woman whose life on paper may not look that out of control, but who feels as if she has all she can do to hold on to the one tiny shred of sanity that she has left.

And to top it all off, since I have started writing this blog, I feel as if Satan has been piling on the distractions, the discouragement, the self-doubt, the fear of failure... and then using the kid's whining as his big, fat cherry on top.

I am tired.

So what am I doing up, just starting to write, at 9:30pm when I should be heading to bed and renewing my mind and body for another busy day tomorrow?

I am laughing.

Because God knew I needed to.

He knew I just needed a break from it all to sit back, become a voyeur into someone else's life, and realize that I'm not the only one who feels this way sometimes.

(Enter my sister-in-law, Emily, a comic genius with the bravery to put her life on display for all to see. Check out her hilarity at www.designHermomma.com, you won't be sorry.)

I have always appreciated that God has an awesome sense of humor. Creation itself is a testimony to that. (Have you ever seen a blue-footed booby? Those things had to have been created by someone with a pretty fresh funny bone.) And I know that the Bible never really mentions times where "Jesus laughed", but we have got to believe He did. I actually bet He was a pretty funny guy in His own right! (If anyone has any Biblical references that can back me up on this, I would love to hear them. I know there's got to be mention of it somewhere...)

And so today, instead of Him giving me life-changing words of wisdom, or inspiring me to do great and marvelous things, He simply gave me the ability and the opportunity to just laugh. To release. To gain a little perspective.

He always seems to know just what I need, when I need it. Just another reason you've got to love this guy.

Dear Lord in heaven,

I pray this day with a lightness that I have not felt has belonged to me for quite some time. Thank You for reminding me that it's okay to not be "on" all the time, for giving me the freedom to let myself let go and enjoy this crazy life that is whirling around me, and simply enjoy being a part of this day that You have given me. I know these moments in time are finite, Lord, help me to treasure them, store them up, relish every second of them, and see You in the middle of them all. Thank You for not only being the God of Mercy, and the God of Might, and the God of Justice, but also the God of Joy.

With a smile on my face I say to You today, I love you Lord.

Amen