You Have A Way With Humor

"He will yet fill your mouths with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."- Job 8:21 

In the midst of every single day that the Lord has made there is some room for some laughter. I don't know about everyone else but I love to laugh; and I tend to laugh even when things aren't funny, and often I laugh or work to produce laughter when the situation is less than ideal. When you can look at the world with humor and see everyday as an opportunity to laugh or make someone else laugh that is awesome. Shining your light through your demeanor and sharing a laugh and a happy moment with someone is part of what the Lord calls us to do. 

This summer I felt that the Lord called me to work with SummerShine at the Myrtle beach KOA. So I arrived to move in this past Sunday with my Mom and my brother only to find out that I was there before my Activities Director and they weren't expecting me until the following week. So naturally my first instinct was to panic and think "how in the world could this happen to me?" Once I got settled into where they were going to let me hangout for a few days I really thought about the situation and I came to the conclusion that it was actually kind of funny, a story to tell sometime and laugh about the crazy things that always seem to happen to me. I believe the Lord has a sense of humor and that we definitely see him in the funny instances in life. 

Psalm 126:2 speaks some serious testament to how the Lord's love and devotion really impacts our lives; "Then was our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy. Then they said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them." When I sit and break this verse apart I get these few things; a deep spiritual connection with the Lord produces happiness which then brings laughter, when you are immersed in God's love you want to shout and sing for joy that he is your beloved and you are his, and among those people who are right where you are you then do what you are called to do, which is to share God's love with every single person you meet. 

This summer is going to be one with some crazy new things but I am excited to see what it holds for me. I can only hope and pray that my love for the Lord will be shared with those around me. Whether it be some laughter, a smile to someone in passing, or just a friendly hello to a neighbor, God's light can shine so bright if you only let it. 

One of my all time favorite verses is about going out and being salt and light and shining before all men. Matthew 5:16 says; "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." It is really just as simple as laughing at a sticky situation and making the best of it. Simply choosing to look on the bright side of things shows those around you that you are a part of something so much bigger than this world. Our God is an awesome God and I pray that this summer and forever we all take the time to laugh, sing, smile, and show others the amazing love of our Heavenly Father. 

When You Hit a Bump in the Road of Life

It is a wonderful thing to know that God's word is a lamp to my feet a light for my path...

Just yesterday I found out that one of the dearest people to my heart, my amazing Papaw, received an unforeseen bit of news from his doctor. The bladder cancer that we thought to be completely gone has actually spread to his abdomen. This has not only shocked my family but the doctors. No one could have seen this coming and if there was a bump in the road this would definitely be it. Chemo is the next step to try and reduce the tumors. I refuse to believe it is over, God is so much bigger, bigger than cancer, bigger than our troubles, bigger than every single bump in the road. 

We cannot foresee what is going to happen in the future and what is to come of situations that we wish we weren't in, but God has a plan. In psalm 119:105 it says that "your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." I know I will be spending some serious time in the word seeking that light to my path and the closeness to the one true God. I take comfort in knowing that I not only have God in my heart and in my life today but everyday for the rest of my life. Of course it is hard to except the hard things in life and believe that the Lord could do something so shocking, but the Lord never does things to hurt his children who seek him daily. He never let us go through things we cannot handle and learn from. 

"So that no one would be unsettled by these troubles. You know quite well that we were destined for them."-1 Thessalonians 3:3  As christians we can expect troubles because we know that hard times grow faith. Life is not without the troubles that we daily face. We are held in arms of the one who love us immeasurably more than we could ever hope or imagine. 

I look at today with a smile in knowing that the Lord is present and he has his hand on my Papaw. Whatever the outcome this is not a time for weariness or pessimistic thoughts but instead a time to praise the Lord for what he has blessed us with. "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."- Exodus 15:2 My strength in everything comes straight from the Lord and I choose to sing his praises and shine my light in the hard times. What good are we if we cannot love the Lord and others when times get tough and we hit those bumps in the road? "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still" and know that he has you in his arms and he will never let you down or let you go.

As it says in Ecclesiastes 3, "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." For me and my family this is a time of hope and prayer and that is exactly what I intend to do. I hope in my love for the Lord everyday and I only hope that something amazing comes from this and in knowing that no matter what the circumstance the Lord is in it and he is working. I believe in miracles and amazing things happening but I also believe in God's timing and I know he calls all times soon. So in this time I pray for everyone who is going through something, a trouble, a praise, whatever it may be, I pray that we all continue to look to the Lord for refuge and strength. He is so big and we rest under the shelter of his wings. Face today and tomorrow with a smile and know that no matter what the bump in the road God is bigger and his plan is far more than just sufficient.