>”Laugh at yourself because I am probably already laughing at you,” that is what a dear friend said to me this week. It is friends like this that keep me on my toes…..laughing. We all need friends who are not afraid to laugh at us and with us and we all need to be willing to be laughed at. Sometimes our life from the rest of the world’s vantage point is just plain funny. I have know this for a while, but I am afraid that some people are still taken aback when I laugh at myself or them. You see, I just can’t be serious about picking out new paint, the state of my checking account or the silly thing that came out of my child’s mouth, when I remind myself how much God has redeemed me from and the life I was delivered from. I believe that pain gives us the later gift of laughter. Can I get an AMEN? I was recently confronted with a false accusation I can tell you that I laughed out loud? Well I did, I laughed out loud, because I have done so dern many things wrong, offensive and sinful in my short life that were so out loud and in your face that to be accused of doing something that so would take so much thought made me laugh. There has been a time in my life that I would have cried, manipulated or tried to change this persons mind about what they thought, but on this day I would have none of that. The word of God says to agree quickly with the enemy and that He (God) will be our justification and that he will contend with them (those who are trying to hurt you or trap you), it says so look for yourself in Psalms 35. If God wanted to save the life of David don’t you think he cares if we are being falsely accused. You can laugh and find joy, that is the beauty of it, we don’t have to take up arms or change anyone’s mind. We don’t have to manipulate or adjust a situation so that it will be in our favor, God is our favor. This doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen, we are promised they will (more on that later, maybe), but we can laugh…ie-find joy even it. Think about that, don’t be so serious, don’t work so hard, don’t care so much what others think, let them laugh and laugh at your self. Remember if you are a friend I may already be laughing at you.

>”Mommy, I knew more than I thought I would know when they were asking me how much I knew,” that is the profound statement of the day, from one of my sweet children, after they were picked up from achievement tests. I don’t know how this will all turn out, I am always surprised by test scores and what my kids know and where there challenges lie. Sometimes I am right on the money, but sometimes I am pleasantly surprised and they know more than I thought they would know when someone ask them what that know…….you get the idea. The important thing is this, they are confident and happy, they know more than they knew last year (in most cases), and are becoming their on personal best. As a rule we don’t share with the children any of these scores, we have found that it will either give a false since of pride or a false since of insecurity or ‘feeling dumb’, so we only let them know where they did great or where they may need some improvement. Maybe other families have children whose character as been built up as such that they don’t have issues that we have encountered, but alas this is how we do it in our home. Today, it was worth it, all this testing that I hate doing because as she so aptly put it upon entering our home, she knew more than she thought she would know when they asked her how much she knew….and that made her happy.
This is the way will measure success today.
Don’t let the numbers get the best of you. Just know what you need to know, learn what the Lord wants you to learn when you realize you don’t know it. Enjoy life.