I LOVE to hear laughter! Everyone in my family has a distinct laugh and it makes my heart glad to hear it! How about you? Do you laugh? What makes you laugh? Laughter is a must in our household!
“We must learn to recognize that there can be no relationship unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, laughter, patience, and persistence.” – Unknown
1 Corinthians 13, known as the love chapter, states in verse 13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Everyone longs for love! The Lord places within us a desire to love and to be loved. Our most precious moments come from those we love, those with whom we can laugh, and those that will walk with us through the deepest valleys of our life. At the end of the day everything that matters comes down to people and relationships; the people we love and the people who love us. We call those people our friends and family. Love is more than a feeling, it’s a way of life.
Paul tells us in John 15:9-11, “If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.” In Galatians, joy is even mentioned as one of the nine fruits of the spirit. I am convinced that a person who has joy is going to be someone who can laugh!
Remember the iconic scene in the movie Mary Poppins when the cast was singing “I love to laugh?” It’s one of my favorites. Who doesn’t love a good laugh? In today’s times, we need to laugh! According to medical researchers, humor and laughter strengthen our immune system, boost our energy, diminish pain, and protect us from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, a cheerful heart as the Proverbs writer wrote long ago, is good medicine. Even William Shakespeare penned, “We don’t laugh because were happy; we’re happy because we laugh.”
Loyalty is a close relative between love and laughter. There is nothing more valuable, more rewarding, and more needed today than loyalty. It is more valuable than money or power. You cannot buy loyalty because loyalty is never for sale.
Loyal women are trustworthy, honest, consistent, reliable, trustworthy, corrects & challenges those she loves in private but defends them in public, honorable, honors her word and commitments.
Love, laughter and loyalty are the wellspring of our life! Who can live without them? Who would want to? I encourage you to work on these three things!
Living this life with love, laughter and loyalty.
Recommended Readings
How to Develop Your Child’s Gifts and Talents During the Elementary Years
By RaeLynne P. Rein, Ph.D., and Rachel Rein
Desperate Marriages by Gary Chapman
Recommended Apps
Google Calendar: Automatically sync events between family members’ phones, laptops and tablets.
Waze: Beat traffic with this social traffic app. Can sync with several calendar programs and Facebook to add directions to upcoming meetings and events.
FileThis: Keep finances in order and be paper free. Can retrieve W-2 and insurance forms and scan those needed receipts.
KeyRing: Simplify shopping by downloading store’s loyalty cards, creating account and then accessing information on digital device.
About the Writer
Michelle Drake
IPHC Women’s Ministries Board Member
