SHOUT!

Sometimes there are things I want to shout as loudly as I can. Things like “Slow Down!” It seems like we all have so much to do and we can’t seem to convince ourselves it’s ok to relax or do nothing for a bit. It’s an art trying to keep an updated activity calendar! There’s so much jostling and rearranging and squeezing in going on that it’s exhausting just looking at what we have planned for the next 30 days.
Being busy isn’t always the best use of our time. That ‘stop and smell the roses’ cliche has some merit. How many things do we miss when we schedule an activity away from home rather than a game night around the table? Do you notice how blue the sky is and the images the wind creates as it blows the clouds around? Enjoying silence even for just a few minutes can be healing to mind, body and spirit. A good book can’t truly be savored without time to simply sit and read. Slow Down! It’s not a sin. 😊
What about shouting “Failure Isn’t Final”? That’s something I’d like to shout …. often….at myself! We are never going to get everything right. Even with our best intentions we are going to mess up and feel awful about it, maybe even cry or retreat to our solitary place away from probing eyes. No matter how much we’d like to live without making costly mistakes, it’s not going to happen. We now know what not to do and we’ve added a piece to our story that will eventually help someone else. If we don’t try because we are afraid of failing we are only half living. Be wise, be cautious, count the cost but don’t let fear of failure rob you.
“Let Jesus Define You” needs to be shouted continuously. All to often we decide who we are based on what our family/friends/co-workers expect us to be. Even worse, we decide who we are based on the things we know we lack. Why is it so much easier to see our weaknesses than our strengths? And when we see them, why do we stop there? Why don’t we counter those negatives with positives?
We need to train ourselves to say what Jesus says. Yes, I mean train. We have equated humility with not allowing ourselves to believe we are capable, wonderful, efficient or amazing. Humility isn’t being ‘less than’ – it’s making sure those around you don’t feel ‘less than’. Jesus considers us to be precious, anointed, loved, chosen, beautiful, strong…..and many more wonderful things; let’s not buy the lie of the enemy that we aren’t allowed to believe those things. Read the Bible, find out what Jesus says and train yourself to battle the world’s negatives with His positives!
“Have More Fun” Those who know me might say I want to shout this just because I love to have fun and they could be right! I think a day without laughter is not complete. I think doing something just because you enjoy it should be part of every (normal, whatever that is) day. Five minutes of fun beats no minutes of fun. I’ve had times in my life where laughter was not normal and it was too much work to have fun. I’m sure you have, too. Thank God those are seasons and not permanent.
If we take ourselves or our days too seriously, we miss the joy God intends to accompany us here on earth. All we have to do is spend time with each other and laughter comes easily because humans are funny creatures! A good way to make sure your day will include some fun is to learn to laugh at yourself (it’s a big stress reliever, too). Also, make sure when you are filling that calendar you leave some play dates available; they are good for adults as well as kids 😊
I believe we are to enjoy our life and it’s the devil’s job to see that we don’t. It’s easy to slip into ways of thinking that Jesus never intended us to so, as we start a new year, become aware of the ways you are being cheated out of enjoying the life you’ve been given. Then shout to others and spread the good word!

And so I heartily recommended that you pursue joy,
for the best a person can do under the sun is to enjoy life.
Eat, drink, and be happy. If this is your attitude,
joy will carry you through the toil every day that
God gives you under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 8:15 (The Voice)