Lately, I have been reminding myself of three ways which help me keep 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
•Alleviates pain
•Lowers blood sugar
•Helps you sleep better
•Improves blood flow
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 or a funny book, watch a (clean) comedy dvd or YouTube video (Tim Hawkins & the Skit Guys are family faves) which makes me laugh.
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, with His help. He may surprise you with how He uplifts and equips you as you invite Him to move in this way!
#sharingHope #hopefortheharddays
(This piece was also published over at auroracornerstone.ca/blog today!)
KARLA LEES 