I thought perhaps the Lord was trying to get something amazing across and lavish me with His favor for spending more time with Him.
It got intense a few days and I
just wouldn’t let it go. Thoughts of healing, hope and the heart were subjects
I was dwelling on, but through it all God was showing me something I didn’t expect. He wanted me to lighten up, take a time out
and give it a rest!
We get so tied up in the
struggles of this world that there doesn’t seem to be a time to find humor in
anything. When that happens, it’s a sign
that we haven’t trusted God, and we are casting all our cares on our shoulders
instead of His.
OK Lord, I got the point.
There’s a remedy for this
according to scripture. Contrary to what
some people may have been taught God does have a sense of humor. I can prove it; take a look at cats!
Welcome new friends this week
from: (the USA) Tennessee,
Virginia, New Jersey and Portugal, India, UK and Malaysia.
There was something “funny” going on this week. Did you feel it? Our Inward Journey is about
to get brighter. Keep praying for your
brothers and sisters of faith following Daily Favor from around the globe.
Don’t miss out on this week’s challenge
(below). Q & A Section
Been Doing It
Apparently we took a new approach
in the way we “do” things without realizing. This may seem a little out of
season so I’ll have to explain. Let’s go
back in time to 2009.
We have gone from setting up a 9+
foot tree to a small 4 foot tall Christmas tree ever since we began caring for
pets with special needs. The tree we use
now can easily be moved from one area to another and doesn’t have any breakable
ornaments on it (no hooks either).
The tree was resting on a small
table and placed in another room every time we left the house. In 2009 the Christmas tree wasn’t displayed until
a few days before the holiday. Not being
able to enjoy it for that long, I decided to take it down at the end of January
(2010).
Due to my mom’s home going we
were called out of town, and would be gone for several weeks due to a blizzard.
(see here)
Being backlogged with work upon
our return home, the tree remained in the bedroom on a dresser. For the next three months we had round the
clock care for my diabetic dog, so the tree stayed in place.
During that time I began using it
as a nightlight. I rather liked the soft
white twinkle lights. Most of my writing
is at night, so it was nice to be able to see without using a flashlight. The tree didn’t bother me at all.
It Looks Weird
Here it is four years later and
the tree was still on the dresser. That
is until last night. Zoe is a 3 year old
kitty that is undergoing medical attention for about 10 months.
She got into the bedroom and played demolition
on the tree, causing it to flip flop onto a space heater on the floor.
I was working at the time when I
heard this crash, but didn’t know what it was.
As I rounded the corner I saw three little contributors (Zoe, Izzy &
Yancy) scatter.
When I saw the tree dangling from
the cord all I could do was burst into laughter. Summoning my husband to come
take a look I asked him to grab the camera on his way into the room. By the time he got there the accused were nowhere
to be found.
Working on our challenge of being
excellent before the Lord. (from January 31, 2014 blog)
I had already decided it was time
to take down the tree and actually get a small lamp. Zoe was helping me keep my commitment or
should I say, she helped put my plan into action by rushing things along. How kind of her!
Last night when I went to bed it
just looked weird … all that space. You
can even see the wall now.
Topsy Turvy
All the tension of the day
drained from us and we let the comical side emerge. Humor ministered to our souls.
Caring Less
The Bible says that having a cheerful
heart (laughter and a good attitude) does a body good as if it were taking
medicine for healing, and indeed it was just that last night.
“A cheerful heart is
good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT)
People get so serious that we sap
the life out of all that is around us.
By doing this, we go against God because we aren’t acting in faith.
Don’t get caring less confused
with carelessness or not caring, and I’m not saying pets aren’t concerned about
their owners. What I am saying is that
they don’t care about material things of this world.
Zoe wasn’t a bit interested in
the cost of the tree or whether it would damage anything if it fell. Actually, the only thing that I’ve noticed
she values is her relationships and isn’t that what we should value also?
Our inward journey should be concentrating
on how our relationship with God stands.
Have you ever talked to God about the funny side of His world? I’ve often wondered about it, and have spoken
to Him with some of my ponderings.
Many people think of God as being
this stuffy, bossy Deity that only wants to thrust punishment on those who get
out of line. If we studied the Bible we
would realize that’s not how He operates at all.
As a matter of fact, we know He
does have a fun side because He has attended a few parties and festivals that
have been recorded. I’ve often wondered
if He laughed when He caused the donkey to speak or at some of the names Adam
called the animals.
Does He ever call the angels over
and say, “Hey, watch this.” as He does the extraordinary? In my opinion, He has set the humor radar
high when it comes to the life of a cat.
"Never put off until tomorrow
what a cat can take care of today."
what a cat can take care of today."
This week’s
challenge:
Find humor in the
little things and relax. Laugh a little!
Laugh with God.
In your quiet
time find things you can laugh about with the Lord. It won’t be as difficult as
you think, trust me. 
"God made me laugh."
Genesis 21:6 tells of a time where God caused Sarah to
laugh when He did a miracle in her life.
Everyone else thought it was crazy for her to have a child at age 90,
but not God.
Now He could have given her
that child when she was younger, but didn’t.
I imagine there were some belly laughs going on don’t you think?
Laugh at yourself. Learn not to take everything so seriously.
Yesterday morning is an example of learning to laugh at your own shortcomings. This was a conversation between my husband and me:
Him: “Lily is on the couch. It’s her new morning thing.”
Me: “I’m not avoiding you!”I have no idea what I thought I heard, but obviously it wasn’t what he said. Our morning began with laughter because it reminded us of what Jeff Allen had said about his wife. (I put the clip below for you.)
It wasn’t about what he said, but
about what she thought she heard him
say.
My husband and I laugh a lot. It’s not something we planned along our journey, but just happened.
For years I’ve told him he missed his calling
when it comes to making people laugh. I
tell him there’s no excuse, because I give him so much material!
God doesn’t want us stuck on
anything. Frustration, confusion or tension isn’t in His make-up. As we’re working through this journey it’s important to realize that we’re not going to learn everything at once. Our time spent with God will develop day by day, and pressing forth sometimes means stopping to take it all in for a spell.
Instead of watching those old
reruns or drama programs, take a week off and focus on the humorous side of
life. If you’re not sure where to start,
here are a few clean Christian stand-up comedians that you can watch on You
Tube or rent a DVD from your local library.
I’ve selected seven, which is the
perfect number of God and gave you the links below for you to watch throughout
the week.
If we are to grow closer to the
Lord, we need to learn more about our creator.
God is the One who created laughter and our sense of humor, so it stands
to reason that He also lets out a chuckle or two doesn’t it?
What are some things that make
you laugh? Why not share them with the
Lord? After all, He’s the One that
programmed the mind of a cat. Now that’s
funny in itself.
“Then our mouth was
filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the
nations, “the LORD has done great things for them.” (Psalm 126:2 NKJV)
Humor is a gift from the
LORD. Use it for His glory so others may
see the great favor and blessings He has done for you.
If My Nose Was Running Money -
Aaron Wilburn
Until next time, favor God’s gift of humor.
7 Days of Humor
Mike Williams: Stupidity Is A Gift Part 1 and Part 2
Michael Jr: The Power Of Laughter and Jesus' Little Brother
Chonda Pierce: Honeymoon Package! and Have You Seen Jesus?
Jeff Allen: "Happy Wife, Happy Life" and "Marriage Counseling" (this
is the one I was referring to earlier)
Check Messages
throughout the week HERE.
What's New this week: Sassy, Classy & Still Sparkling ~ Celebrating Life after 50
Maybe
you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of
favor in your life also. Click on the
above tab “Tell Me” for
more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Scripture reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by Gateway Bible
Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified
Image: Time Out Back in Time Laugh at Yourself Pets Laugh Cat Relaxing Topsy
