Chapter 8 - Behavior 5 - Think Less and Laugh More / Are you Making You Unhappy?

Think Less and Laugh More

My sweet granddaughter Kylie - in somebody's big rain boots dancing in the rain. Childlike Abandon!

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

 Our God surely has a sense of humor!  I didn't pick this section for the blog this week - it was hand-picked by one who is complete wisdom!  As some of you know this week I posted asking for topics for a magazine article to write and take to the SheSpeaks conference to be critiqued - I also asked for ideas for a FB page and new blog devoted to my 'faith' writing.....well, one of the suggestions I got back was to center my blog/website around having a Child-Like faith.  When I think of a children, I immediately see and feel laughter.  When I think 'Child-Like faith'  I think to abandon what anyone thinks, to let loose, to be free from all, and just have FAITH regardless what may be stacked against us. A child hasn't yet learned to prepare for oncoming traffic - -they are wildly free! As parents their 'wild abandon' scares us to death - no sense of fear - only laughter and fun.  But oh how wonderful it would be to just for a few minutes each day to have that child like freedom. Unfortunately, we as adults are sitting right in the middle of the intersection awaiting the 1st car to run the stop sign to bring our world crashing down. Not much fun, huh?  Mark Twain said:

Our Most Effective weapon is Laughter  - Mark Twain

Joyce tells us in this chapter - the HAPPY HABIT - that the average child laughs 150 times a day while the average adult laughs 4 - 8 times a day.  I have a friend that tells me I need to find my "inner child". We won't go there because if I think about it, it's probably true.  I'm Ms. Conservative and always in serious mode thinking about the next thing I have to get done ~ I promise I do laugh and I do shut down and have fun, but it is definitely not as often as I would like. This my friends is my own fault!  AND in return, I think that she does WAY too much thinking and is a very deep and intense person who wants to understands all of her actions as well as every person and event in her life (ouch, this is just how Joyce described herself). - (I promise, we really are friends, just very different)  In fact, I tell her not to 'psycho analyze' everything - that she is way too deep for my mind that is already absorbed to the max with the next thing I have to do....I find myself holding my head thinking - Oh Please can we just keep this 'light'!  For me life goes 100 mph. I have been walking through the mall and have had a stranger say (this has happened more than once) - SMILE! You look so serious!  Most women would be having a great time shopping - instead I'm already focusing on what stores I need to go to and what I need at each - how much money is in the bank - how I'm going to pay for my purchase, etc.  What is there to smile about?   LOL  (yes, I'm laughing out loud) at myself.  I sound like a stuffed and very starchy shirt!   Let's look at what Joyce says about laughter.

Here's how Joyce describes laughter:

• With Laughter we momentarily forget all our concerns and struggles
• Laughter energizes us and is one of the healthiest things we can do
• Laughter can pull a person out of depression and despair
• Laughter can turn an ordinary day into a memorable one.

Milton Berle (who most of us know and love and remember as being so funny in his acts) said:

Laughter is an instant vacation   Milton Berle

 So why don't we find that child-like behavior and Laugh?  Research shows there are 42 references to laughter in the bible, not many - but there is much to be learned from these scriptures.

 

Are You Letting "You" Make you Unhappy?

I think that Joyce is right in this chapter when she says that a root cause for much of our unhappiness is simply that we are not happy with ourselves.  We are not happy with our looks, our size, our abilities - we continue to compare ourselves with others continuously - and aren't happy in our own skin. We make mistakes, we do things without thinking sometimes, we beat ourselves up and most times are our own worst enemies.  With friends like ourselves, who needs enemies?  Everything I read in this section hits me as something I am guilty of.  What about you?  To sum up Joyce's advice:

• Learn to laugh at yourself and not be so intense over every mistake
• Learn to enjoy your own company -  'you are with yourself more than any other person'
• Do NOT take a daily inventory of all of your faults and fret over them day in and day out

#1 BIGGEST CHANGE:   Trust God to show you what needs to be changed and work with the Holy Spirit to make these changes.

We know when we are happy or enjoying life and when we're not. It remains up to us to make the choice to be happy.  Melanie said this week - You have a Choice to Be Happy!   Make it your choice! It doesn't get any clearer than that.  We know that with God we can do ANYTHING ~ He can renew us, transform us and get us to a place of laughter and loving ourselves - a place where WE are not the root cause of our own unhappiness.

Joyce also quotes Ethel Barrymore who with wisdom said:

You Grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself

That is the WOW factor for me!

Like anything that requires change, it isn't going to happen overnight.  It requires awareness, effort, and GOD.  I can't emphasize enough how important it is to dig into The Word - do some scripture mapping, personalize the scripture and make it speak to you.  Reach out to our Heavenly Father in prayer for guidance and strength.  Strive to laugh - strive to have fun - work toward growing into what Joyce calls spiritual maturity - we are our own worst enemy. How can you change that this week?

 

My precious grandson Trey. Always Smiling

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. Proverbs 15:13

I will leave you with this last scripture, it is my graduate's favorite and I love it as well!
 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25

Dear God, 
         Thank you for another day of life.  For another chance to be happy within.  Father, work with us to change our hearts.  To learn to love ourselves as you love us.  May we remember always, that we are a child of yours ~ you created us in your likeness and have given each of us our own special gifts and abilities.  Help us as we work to laugh more ~ as we build this healthy habit of laughter.  It makes so much sense Father, but is one of the hardest things for me personally to grasp.  It is my prayer God that we strive to be like children - and live life with child-like abandon ~enjoying life~ enjoying each other ~ laughing and enjoying each day.  With each breath we take, may we remember to laugh as easy as we breathe. Thank you for these ladies, for every blessing, for giving us another day of life.  We love you Father.  Amen