Break the chains with laughter!
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When was the last time you laughed so hard that your body literally shook? Or laughter bubbled up from deep within you only to rush forth in deep belly laughs or even snorts? I experienced uninhibited joy last week when I was out to dinner with my sons.  There were giggles, there were deep belly laughs and there were tears streaming down our faces due to the laughter. Now you need to know that we are all adults or at least we are chronologically!!! God took this moment in time to teach me a valuable lesson. We are His children and He revels in unfettered  joy. Yes, God rejoices with us in our happiness and it honors Him when we share our joy with others. Worship the Lord each day; shout your thanks to Him with your thoughts, words and actions; and honor Him with joy!
Psalm 100:1-2
The Message (MSG)
100 1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.God spoke into my heart and gave me the gift of laughter at just the right time. He taught me that wearing the weight of the world was His job and I needed to release my challenges to Him. The immense joy that filled me via the laughter allowed me to set free the cares that were so prevalent. God is the Great Instructor and His Word holds truth and all we need when we are faced with obstacles that are blocking our way. Laughter was the way to wiggle deep down into my soul and hear God’s words so clearly.
Laughter is freeing…
            Laughter is life-giving…
                        Laughter is a form of worship to our Lord…
Laughter is freeing!
To truly laugh you need to let go and abandon the worries you are holding so tightly. God sent His son Jesus to set us free. Jesus gave us this gift by dying for us on the cross. Break the chains that cause such reserve and let go laughing freely.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galations 5:1
Laughter is life-giving!
By freely giving yourself up to the moment and relishing in the joy, new life has been breathed into you. Sharing the moment with others, as I did when I had dinner with my sons, opened us up to God’s presence. Surrender each day to God’s will and stand back to let life happen.
1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 MSGÂ
Laughter is a form of worship!
In that moment of unbridled happiness… in that moment of release… in that moment of abandon…  you have reflected God’s joy back to Him. Worship Him with laughter each day.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 16-18
Live, Laugh and Love God each day! Surrender all to Him. Break the chains that bind you to the world and give God all the control!
Let the laughter begin! Share a moment when you allowed yourself to freely express joy!Â
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Hi Mary…loved this post and with your blessings. I would like to copy and use it at a women’s retreat we are having this fall. My daughter, my sister, and my mom and I have memorable “gut busting” laughing sessions and I always feel refreshed afterwards. God is good.
Much joy and laughter to you my friend.
Joy and laughter to you as well. I am honored you would like to share my post. Please feel free to do that with my blessing. Here’s hoping joy finds us each day and we are open to sharing it with others.
I don’t think you can do what we do everyday and not have a sense of humor and a lot of laughter. That being said, I wasn’t laughing after Friday’s in-service. Wow! What about you?
I understand how overwhelming our Thursday and Friday were and have spent a lot of time praying for the teachers, students and administration this weekend. Hopefully we will find joy each day even if it is a quick blip on the radar. Praying for you dear friend as we begin a new year for strength, endurance and joy!
I loved this post…so very encouraging! Thank you for the reminder to break the chains with laughter! I’m going to save this in my “favorites” so I can come back to read it when the weight of this world tries to push me down. Thank you and God Bless!
#StickWithIt
-Laurie
I am so glad that this post blessed you today. I pray we both experience unexpected joy this weekend!
Amen! As I was reading your post, I thought about how we can draw people to Christ by our cheerful attitude. Laughter is a universal language opening the door to share our faith with others. Thanks for posting
Unexpected joy is God’s way of reminding us of what is truly important. Have a wonderful weekend!
As I was reading your blog, I had to sit back and think…and I was like, yea, life has become a little too serious, and when was the last time I truly laughed till my tummy hurt? Far too long. So thanks for the reminder to let loose the laughter and rejoice in the day the Lord has made. Blessings to you and your family 🙂
Trish (OBS small group leader)
Here’s hoping we all experience many “belly laugh” moments and feel the presence of God as we do. Have a wonderful weekend!
Such a beautiful and true reminder, Mary. I don’t have those belly-laughs nearly enough, but they are always so refreshing when I experience them. And it’s great to know that you were able to have this amazing time with your adult children. I look forward to the days when my boys will want to hang out with old mom and dad. Our oldest is “there” but off at school getting his masters degree. Thanks so much for the wise encouragement, my friend, and for linking up with Wedded Wed!
Thank you for your sweet words. I don’t see my sons as much as I would like but when I do it is such a gift. Thank you for your generosity in letting me link up.