Enjoying Today...at WFW

Enjoying life......what's important?

What is "eternal"?

Some things are NEVER a "waste of time".....

tickling kids....

playing board games...

baking a SNOWMAN cake....

I don't want to get too busy with scheduled RUNNING....crowding out quiet moments with my kids.

Some of life's BEST moments come with "doing nothing."

Lord, I want to allow Your Holy Spirit to teach me....whisper to me....remind me to enjoy Today.

Enjoy them!

Gathering At the Well....giggle...giggle

I was rushing to pick up my 8th grader from football practice, a little frantic to get there "on time", i.e.: he is not the LAST player waiting in the parking lot. As I rounded the corner, I couldn't help but notice the car leaving the school. This mom had a radiant smile beaming from ear to ear. She and her son were talking about something and it looked like they were having FUN.

Instantly, it struck me that I wanted to be a radiantly beaming mom, enjoying the company of my son!

I want to enjoy my children (while they are children!). I want to have fun with my family. I want my legacy to be a life (and a home) filled with laughter and joy.

Now, I confess I can be a bit too serious at times. And, the Holy Spirit has been quieting me when my first reaction is to nag or complain. I am learning to close my mouth and listen more "quickly." I am trying to live out James 4:11: Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Why is it that we sometimes think we are NOT supposed to be "happy" as Christians? There is so much dispute between "happiness" and "joy." I have heard people say something like, "Joy is within in our spirits, while happiness relies on our circumstances," as if there is something wrong with "happiness." Maybe you've heard the same things, and have even felt guilty because you are happy. And, even though we can't be "happy" all the time, 24/7, we can experience happiness regularly. Remember the mom with the beaming smile? She was GENUINELY enjoying herself!I believe God wants us to be happy....enjoying life. Jesus had a great sense of humor, and I find myself laughing at loud at times reading some of His parables. He said that He came to give us ABUNDANT life...life to the full.

I know PERSONALLY what a sense of humor God has. Why else would He give me a husband that is so DIFFERENT from me, but children who are exactly LIKE me? I know so He can get a good laugh at the "fireworks" sometimes!

While "happiness" may be fleeting, and can depend on our circumstances, joy comes from who we are in Him. No matter what is happening in our lives, we still experience the joy of being His, knowing that He is getting us through, holding our hand. Jesus tells us to "remain in His love so that His joy may be in us and that our joy may be complete."

Paul, who should have been the most depressed and unhappy person according to his circumstances- beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and shipwrecked twice- was full of BOUNDLESS JOY- he said "in all my troubles my joy knows no bounds." He says, "In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." When he and Silas are praying and singing in jail and the chains fall off, I can't picture a man who is sad, but full of praise for His God! Paul prays for us, "May the God of hope fill you with all JOY..." Peter tells us that even though we haven't seen Jesus, we love Him and believe in Him and are "filled with an INEXPRESSIBLE AND GLORIOUS JOY." John tells us that through our fellowship with Father and with the Son our joy is complete.

But, what about "happiness?" Is it OK to be happy?Proverbs 17:22 says, "A happy (cheerful) heart is good medicine."

Psalm 128 says, "Blessed (happy, fortunate) is everyone who fears, worships the Lord, who walks in His ways and lives according to His Word. For you shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; happy (blessed) shall you be, and it shall be well with you." When we are walking in a RELATIONSHIP with the Lord we experience happiness.

Psalm 144 says, "Happy and blessed are the people (who trust in God) who are in such a case; yes, happy are the people whose God is the Lord!" When we TRUST God, we experience happiness.

Psalm 146 says, "Happy (blessed) is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God." When I put my hope in GOD, when I go to Him for help, I experience happiness.

A synonym of "happy" is contentment. Paul says "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is like to be in need, and I know what it is like to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."Again, this contentment comes from a relationship with Jesus...depending on His strength.We don't always "feel" happy, but we can turn our thinking around!

What makes you happy? A child's smile? Talking to a friend? A beautiful sky with puffy white clouds? A flower arrangement? What about making a craft for a neighbor and sharing happiness with someone else?

Colossians tells us to "set our minds on things above, not on earthly things." We can choose to focus and keep our minds on what is making us unhappy, or we can renew our minds in the joy of the Lord, counting our blessings and thinking on the many things God has provided for our happiness- chocolate, lovely flowers, leaves turning in the fall, puppy dogs, a warm bath, a child's embrace...

Philippians tells us, "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things."We need to teach our children, and live by example, to enjoy everyday life, to have fun together, and to laugh. We must teach them that as Christians, we can experience true JOY no matter what our circumstances are. Even in sad times, even in grief, we still have joy in the Lord and who we are in Christ.

Mother Theresa said, "Joy is prayer. Joy is strength. Joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. God loves a cheerful giver. One gives most who gives with joy. The best way to show our gratitude to God and people is to accept everything with joy. A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen. This I tell you my sisters. This I tell you."

Why do you think it is important to experience joy, happiness, and contentment as a Christian? How can you create a home filled with laughter and joy? Please allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart about joy and happiness. Quiet your heart, allowing God to show you areas in your life where He wants to renew your mind.

Please join in the discussion At the Well. Write about what God is showing you and link back here. We would be so encouraged to hear your thoughts and what you have learned.

Giggle. Giggle. Wink. Wink. Giggle.

You aren't too serious, are you???

Are you having enough FUN?

You aren't taking yourself too seriously, are you????

Please join me AT THE WELL today and we'll have a chuckle together!

Christians AREN'T fun! Or, are they?????

Are Christians supposed to be fun???!!!???

We're pretty known in our neighborhood, at the kids' school, at Brian's office as "oh...that family." We're the crazies with all the kids.

I have to admit it- our family likes to have fun. We enjoy April Fool's Day. We dress up in themed costumes for Halloween (Toy Story was our favorite- we even got a costume on Brian- Woody). In the summer, we attract lots of attention of passersby as we show movies on our garage wall like a drive-in theater. We have lemonade stands. We like to play. Brian "smooshes" the kids on a nightly basis. For those of you who have no idea what a good "smoosh" is- it basically is sitting on the kids, sometimes tickling, sometimes not, until Mom saves them, a brother or sister saves them, or they cry, throw up, or pee their pants.

Birthday parties are a big deal at our house. So much of a big deal that several years ago I owned a children's birthday party business. I had several themed parties- Pirate Party, Cinderella Party, Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, Dinosaur Party, Army Party, and a Space Party. The inspiration for these parties came from my kids' parties.

So, our neighbors and parents of our kids' friends have become accustomed to our fun (sometimes strange) parties. When Andrew had a pirate party, we went to a moving company, bought the HUGE moving boxes and made pirate ships out of them to have a huge battle. When we had a circus party, it took weeks to clean up the basement afterwards! Last year, Andrew wanted to rent a limo for his birthday. So, we rented a limo and picked up all of the boys after school on the Friday before the last day of school. We had a BLAST! They felt so "important" driving around in a limo, listening to music and getting slushies at Sonic!

This year was no different. We found a dunking tank online! Can you believe a dunking tank????? I have never seen a REAL one- just one on TV. Remember the Brady Bunch? Anyway, we had so much fun. Even Mom got in....

The other thing that our neighbors, friends, parents of our kids' friends know about us is that we are Christians. Our Christmas letter each year praises and glorifies Christ. We go caroling in the neighborhood, singing songs about the birth of Jesus. I have an annual Christmas cookie exchange where I share my testimony. When we are "jamming" it is Christian music that is loud. At Easter, we "egg" the neighborhood- filling our neighbor's yards with eggs filled with treats. We visit the nursing home on a regular basis, bringing homemade crafts and singing Christian songs. We give out cards and gifts to teachers with messages of thank you and prayers. We are open about our faith, inviting neighbors to church, VBS, and bible studies.

So, how can these "fun" kooks be Christians???? Aren't Christians "bible thumping" brow furrowed, serious, often angry, boring people? Are Christians actually FUN???

I think Jesus was fun! Jesus was a storyteller. Wherever Jesus went, children FLOCKED to Him. (And kids are fun magnets- they are attracted to fun!) When you read Jesus' words, He often uses humor. And, where did Jesus perform His first miracle? At a party, of course!

Jesus came to give us LIFE and life to the full- abundant life. We should have a JOY that is uncommon! We should be like magnets, attracting others with our joy. People should wonder "what do they have?" We have the JOY of Jesus in our lives! We should be happy!

I blogged about "happy" being a "dirty" word in "Happy is NOT a Dirty Word!! Click here to read it!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." -Proverbs 17:22

Father God, may I always be filled with the joy of Jesus Christ. I have so much to be thankful for. I desire to have this attitude of gratitude and a countenance of joy. I want to have boundless joy that Paul talks about. I know the enemy wants to steal my joy. I know he laughs when I am crabby, gloomy, and joyLESS. I want my home to be filled with laughter and fun. I want my kids, when they are grown, to look back at our lives and remember them as fun and full of LIFE. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, Lord. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Fill me with such life. Help me to "have something" that others want. Help others to see that my joy comes NOT from dunk tanks, circumstances, or parties, but my joy comes from living a life with YOU. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.