If you'd like to know one of my little secrets that keeps a smile on my face it's this: I laugh at myself a lot!! I don't know about you, but it seems like everyday I am doing something hilariously funny that literally cracks me up. I don't have to have loads of people around either - it can be just me, myself, and I and you got it - I'm dying laughing. We tend to take ourselves and this life too seriously - each day carries a new load of 'junk' that we carry, or surprises that hit us that day but when we can 'train' ourselves to not let it attach to us we find that we gain even more strength to take on the task that we are dealing with. So for me, laughter is really the best medicine around. Here are some of the things that I have done over the past few weeks...
A little over a week ago I was sitting in my living room when I heard what sounded like a spaceship taking off downstairs. I didn't have a clue what it was until Mark walked in and said, "Whoa, I think that's the dryer!" My first thoughts were, "No, not the dryer!! I don't want to have to pay for a new dryer right now, it's almost Christmas, I need to be buying Christmas presents, not a dryer!" Think about this: That thought brought a massive amount of stress on me in literally a split second. But no sooner had that thought come to mind when I found myself saying, "Tracee, everything is going to work out!!" I caught myself and stopped the stress of a dying dryer and realized that MY GOD was bigger than my dryer! And that HE would provide. Well, guess what! He did and all that dryer cost me was $40.00 after I ended up getting a phone call to go work in the studio that wasn't on my agenda that week....what did I do, I laughed! (my new dryer is even nicer than the one I had!! ha!)
Then, Sunday morning, a few weeks ago which are crazy day for me as always, rushing around trying to get last minute things done at church. I ended up having to do a quick insert for the bulletin but every time I tried to put this insert on postcard paper, it wouldn't work right - so I ended up having to put it on stock paper and then cut it with the cutter - instead of responding stressed, I laughed. So, here, while I was cutting the inserts, the hole punch kept getting in my way so I picked it up and you guessed it - the entire bottom of it fell off and bam - all those lovely little circles of paper confetti ended up EVERYWHERE - what did I do - I laughed.
Then, this past weekend I was looking for my phone and couldn't, for the life of me, find it ANYWHERE.....after a good long pause and lots of searching through my car and purse I discovered that I was talking to a friend on it the entire time!!
Then, last night, I was leaving the church parking lot, exhausted from a long but great day and was ready to head home and get to bed.....so, I put the car in reverse, hit the gas pedal and went backwards. I laughed as I tried to figure out what was going on. See, my mind was thinking forward but the car wasn't responding that way...so, I tried it again and went backwards AGAIN!! Instead of getting frustrated at this mistake...I laughed at myself as I came to the realization that I hadn't put my car in drive, got it in the right gear and off I went.
We are going to make mistakes, we are going to have 'duh' moments, we are going to have days when you feel like the world is sitting right smack on top of your head....just make sure you don't take yourself too seriously and remember - laugh it off. You'll discover that your everyday trials really aren't that bad at all. It's about perspective....so, laugh!! Always remember, God has all your 'oops' covered, your car not starting - covered, your dryer breaking down - covered, your every day life - covered!! Let Him do His job in your life and respond with a laugh cuz He has you covered.
James had it sooo right, "Consider it joy when you go through various trials and tribulations knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience!" :) James 1
LOL,
Tracee Lee
