This week, I have shared three ways I make my faith a priority, especially in the stormy seasons or hardest of days.
- Seeking Him in worship
- Seeking Him in the Word
- Seeking Him in prayer
And today, let me share the fourth way, which may come as a shock to some of you.
Seeking Him for joy.
When I discovered the Word makes promises such as “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10), and saw how Jesus was able to minister so much yet remain confident in who He was and what He was called to do despite opposition, I realized there must be value in joy.
And one of the outer expressions of joy is laughter.
Laughter is health boosting to our bodies, and minds. Helping us to face harder days with a joy that can only come by seeking God, and taking a positive stance.
The act of laughing:
- Reduces stress
- Lowers blood pressure
- Burns calories
- Eleviates pain
- Lowers blood sugar
- Improves immune function
- Helps you sleep better
- Improves blood flow
(Read the full ‘8 Health Benefits to Laughter’ article referred to here: https://dailyhealthpost.com/8-health-benefits-of-laughter/)
Basically? Almost every benefit you can get from a jog or run, laughter can release within you!
So I choose daily to read the comics (Calvin & Hobbes are still a fave!) or funny book (Carla Laureano is a good fun dialogue writer), watch a (clean) comedy dvd or YouTube video (Tim Hawkins & the Skit Guys are family faves) or a movie which makes me laugh (Taxi and Ant-Man are good ones for me!).
Laugh every day, it’s like inner jogging!
But more than that, I ask Holy Spirit within me to help me to lean on His joy to be my strength when I feel especially weak.
Try adding laughter and seeking joy to your situation, friend, with His help. He may surprise you with how He uplifts and equips you as you invite Him to move in this way!
#hopefortheharddays #seekjoy
KARLA LEES 