Stress Fractures; Laughter Helps

We had forgotten how to laugh.

We had forgotten what it looked like -- tears leaking from crinkled eyes and smiles stretching across happy faces and shoulders shaking in mirth.   Thighs slapped and torsos rocking and faces animated and hands flapping.  

We had forgotten what it sounded like -- exploding guffaws and sporadic cackles and spontaneous roars from the belly up. Giggling and tittering and hooting and whooping.

We had forgotten what it felt like to share the silly and celebrate the fun and howl at the hilarious and respond to infectious joy.

Stressed, we had forgotten how to laugh. But now we were, and it felt really good.

One of my sisters recently suffered a stress fracture in her ankle, which will curtail her running and change the way she exercises. The cracked bone will fracture her routines for a while. My sister is making the best of it, acknowledging the importance of Godly perspective over loss of running. That’s what she does.

But her injury reminded me that stress can fracture our lives, and that one side effect of a fractured life caused by stress is loss of laughter.

Stress fractures; that’s what it does.  But laughter helps; that’s what it does.

Barbara Johnson once said, “Laughter is like changing a baby’s diaper – it doesn’t permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for a while.”

In Genesis 21:6, after a particularly stressful time in her life, Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." (NIV). God blessed Sarah with laughter.  Laughter is a blessing that shares, and the only side effect is streaked mascara!

So today, I’m thanking God for the gift of laughter, a blessing which spreads more mere words.

Psalm 126 The Message

^1-3 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
    when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
    we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
    “God was wonderful to them!”
God was wonderful to us;
    we are one happy people.

^4-6 And now, God, do it again—
    bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
    will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
    will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

 And for a hoot and a holler, enjoy reading "The First Time is Always the Worst" by Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant, winner of 2003 Erma Bombeck Humor Writing Award Winning Piece. The link is found on my blog titled "For women who want to laugh out loud, not just say LOL!"

Excerpt:  "The first mammogram is the worst. Especially when the machine catches on fire. That’s what happened to me..."  

I Can't Imagine

The Israelites knew how to wander. They were good at it. They’d done it for 40 years.

But now it was time to stop wandering and deal with the problem of Jericho looming before them, an imposing and invincible fortress with massive and impregnable walls. 

A walled city could be captured in five ways:  climbing over, digging under, smashing through, laying siege, or using subterfuge like the Trojan Horse of Troy (Gaebelein).

God chose none of them.

God did it his way, a way of weaving faith with his mighty power and undisputable authority. A way that brought down a stronghold that seemed impossible to conquer.  

And also a way that reminds me to stop avoiding a problem because I can’t imagine a solution and to start trusting God whose ways are not always seen.  

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days"  (Hebrews 11:30 NIV).

Gaebelein, Frank E., ed. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1992. 277. Print.

Pondering Forgiveness

Recently, I finished reading and rereading these four powerful works, each one a different genre. 

 Each book explores forgiveness, invites contemplation, and moves the heart to seek more of God.   

I highly recommend each one.  

Fiction – The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Christian Fiction – Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Nonfiction – The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal

 Bible Study -- Embracing Forgiveness by Traci Mullins (Women of Faith Bible Study Series)

Weekend Advice

My to-do lists grow longer daily as the reality of my retirement kicks in:  Adirondack chairs to paint in purples and blues and greens, more flowers to plant in beds of zinnias and cosmos and roses, and then there’s the inside that’s more cleaning than creative, more necessary than fun.

As I happily skip and dance and laugh my way into my retirement life, grateful to have lived long enough to have one, my lists of projects sprout as fast as the weeds in my garden. Hours that I didn’t have before are now ripe for activities long neglected.

My sister once told me that the weekends stressed her as much as the week days because she rarely made any progress on her massive checklist of projects  -- paint the living room, steam clean the upstairs carpet, clean out the kitchen cabinets – multiple jobs crammed into one tiny weekend, and impossible to finish.   

Her husband, however, always completed his project list without any problem.

How? By writing only one major task on his list.

If it’s mowing the lawn, he completes it and enjoys the rest of his weekend.

I haven’t forgotten my brother-in-law’s answer to a dilemma that invades many of us on the weekends, a time which is better spent refreshing, not stressing.

So as I ponder over the projects I’d like to complete today, I’m choosing only one:  to weed our small vegetable garden so my husband can plant the cucumbers. That’s it. Anything else goes to the roses.  

I’ll still wash the clothes and clean the dishes and take Ian his lunch and write on my blog and sweep up the dirt we track in from the garden, but the major projects won’t sweep me under the rug if I don’t finish them. Today, there’s just that one.

 ^“Work willingly at whatever you do,

as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people”

(Colossians 3:23 NLT).

BEFORE!

AFTER!

READY TO PLANT! 

 

Family Fourth

 

The Fourth of July is a day of traditions, a day of fireworks and parades and barbecues and concerts, a day which celebrates the courage of those who fought for independence.

Independence Day may be a federal holiday on our calendar, but it’s also a pause in our life to reflect on what’s important to our country and the courage it took to make that happen hundreds of years ago.

We didn’t see any fireworks this year on the Fourth of July nor did we watch a parade or attend a concert or eat any barbecue; instead, our lives were lit up by family.

And this snapshot of our sons, Reid and Will, and their cousin Jen captures it all.

Three cousins. Walking and talking and laughing. Enjoying being together.  

And even though it was exciting to pass Troy Aikman jogging on the Katy Trail, the green-canopied path that runs through the Uptown and Oak Lawn areas of Dallas, the memory that will remain with me is this picture of family for it represents the encouragement we give each other.

Family who stands by us and walks with us at times when courage is needed and at times to celebrate the courage of others.

Once when the Apostle Paul was faced with a dangerous crowd, who looked like they were going to tear him to pieces, the Lord stood and said to Paul,  “Take courage!” (Acts 23:11 NIV). Later Paul encouraged Timothy, who was like family, by sharing his experiences with him.

And Paul leaves us with yet another beautiful picture of the Lord coming to our side, standing by us, giving us encouragement to live our lives courageously. The Lord came to Paul, who shared with Timothy, who shares with us. And then we go and stand by someone else, encouraging that person. And as we walk and talk and stand by each other, encouraging each other, the Lord is right there with us. To me, that’s a picture of family.

Undoubtedly our founding fathers were brave, convicted, heroic men who stood together and encouraged each other. Today, courage spreads like the fireworks that light up the sky on the Fourth of July. Friends and family encouraging each other, sharing that spirit that enables us to look up and face difficulties and dangers and to act bravely. A picture of courage at its best.

“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said,

“Take courage”

(Acts 23:11a NIV).

“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength”

(2 Timothy 4:17a NIV).