Laughter doeth good like a medicine

This week I've been reading the book "Mama, Get the Hammer! There's a Fly on Papa's Head!" by Barbara Johnson. I know, the title sounds realllllyyyy far out there, but the book is fairly sane:-) Sometimes life just gets us. Really gets us. We get tired, sick, disappointed, hurt by those we think love us, worn down with financial cares, stuck in a rut, frustrated, unhappy with ourselves, unhappy with our mates, etc... and we just need a lift!

This book has been that lift for me! There is so much turmoil in this world today and although we know we have the surety of eternity with Christ as a believer, we still get bogged down with the cares of day to day life. I just needed to laugh:-) Do you ever just NEED to laugh? I miss my laughing buddies of days gone by, and sometimes I feel like I just need them around to have a good aching stomach-tears in your eyes-laugh!! LOL! Since I don't have them here with me anymore ***and you know who you are:-)***, this book helped me laugh like I haven't done in a while!

Christ reminded me this week that there is J.O.Y. in living! My Mom used to sing a song with us when we were little and I sing it with my children now, but the message sometimes slips by unnoticed. "Jesus, and others, and you! What a wonderful way to spell JOY! Jesus and others and you, in the life of each boy and each girl! J is for JESUS for HE has first place! O is for OTHERS you meet face to face! Y is for YOU and whatever you do, PUT YOURSELF LAST and spell J.O.Y.!!!!"

Jesus is the Joy of Living and this book reminded me of that this week. Instead of dwelling and focusing on the negative, I need to look more for the laughter, fun, and happy in life:-) I think I'm going to start a new tradition in our home this week. There are always serious things to talk about and discuss, but before those issues are discussed, we must first thing of something to say that is happy and will make the person we're talking to laugh! I mean, REALLY laugh:-) Laughter is such a good medicine and I think it can make a lot of ailments go away, just like the lack of laughter can bring on the ailments:-)

Here's a challenge for you **and for me**: This week, before we discuss work, politics, discipline issues, church matters, family problems, etc...Each person involved in the conversation must share something funny or very positive! There must be laughter and smiles (soul medicine) before there can be any dissection. I think we will find that many of the troubles of life will not be so "troubling" if we will FIRST put the words to these verses from Psalms and Proverbs to use.

Proverbs 11:22

"A MERRY heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Psalms 16:9-11 *my favorite Psalm:-)*

"Therefore my heart is GLAD, and my glory REJOICETH: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of LIFE; in thy presence is fullness of JOY ; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. "

I want to close this with something funny that happened to me and my husband last night:-) He reads all my posts so I know he won't mind me sharing this:-) In most marriages *or maybe all of them?* the wife wants the husband to "read her mind" or "take her hints" and the husband wants his wife to "speak up and say what she wants"....SOUND FAMILIAR?? Well, it works this way in this house too!! Now, for the last almost 12 years I've been working on trying to be more clear in expressing my needs verbally instead of "hinting":-) My husband, after nearly 12 years of marriage, is still not getting the hang of hints. SO, last night I was in need of some help. I didn't hint, I didn't use my Fonderin-eyes( *Lay family joke* ) to try to relay my inner thoughts, I didn't use body language, I just came right out and said what I needed! I was SO proud of myself! Do you know what happened? My husband still didn't get it!!! He proceeded right on doing what he was doing and I was left standing with my mouth hanging open! L.O.L.!!!

WHAT??? Now I'm the one confused:-) lol!!! I thought I did it right this time and he STILL didn't get it. Boy, now mean ole' mister devil just jumped right in and you know what, I let him. I stewed in my frustration for a while and reaalllyyy got irritated:-) I was NOT happy:-) Yep, I let my joy get robbed and it didn't help anything! After the house was quiet and the kids were all in bed, I told my husband that I was sorry for being irritated at him. Poor man, he didn't even know I was upset with him!! hahaha! He had been in the garage all this time and had missed out on on the joy-robbing. I explained why I had gotten upset and told him that I thought I had did it right this time and do you know what he said??? this is the killer...hahahaha...he said, "I heard you say that, but I didn't think you really meant it!" AAAAAAHHHH!!!! *serious amounts of laughing at this point**

So, what is the point of sharing this...it's this: Don't let Satan rob you of your joy! Learn to laugh and look for the laughter that is in nearly every situation of life! Satan likes nothing better than to get you down and disappointed. He knows if he can do that, then he's got you right where he wants you...DEFEATED! So this week, let's let the J.O.Y. of Jesus put smiles on our faces, love in our words, and happiness in our hearts!