March #jammed: Grace Revealed.

Day 67: Grace is Happy.

“Be  joyful always.” 1 Thes. 5:16

“People who aren’t afraid to speak truth to you would say …you suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out.)”- Jennifer Dukes Lee, The Happiness Dare

My book dropped to my lap and laughter rolled out of me in waves. I love how God is funny. Suddenly, the paranoia to include all or bust made perfect sense. The girl that wants to be friends with everyone …and suddenly I knew why. Not out of dysfunction or overcompensation …

God totally made me that way. Phew!

In her book, Jennifer Dukes Lee helps her readers identify their happiness style, and mine waved it’s white flag of surrender just pages into reading. The Happiness Dare seemed a no brainer for me, the girl who ends all prose with “Happy _______.”

Laughter is often the first sound people identify me with. I’ve been teased about my laugh, applauded for my laugh, and loved for my laugh. Laughing …is my favorite. There’s no shortage of silliness in my radius of reach, but any friend will tell you I’m just as prone to seasons of sadness and hardship …and there have been some. Oh,  have there been some. Seasons of physical pain, people leaving, friends fighting, finances disappearing, kids screaming, and the wonderful mess of marriage. But through it all, I’ve held onto “Be joyful always.”

But why? Jesus is why. What He did for us makes me happy. I’m forgiven. And I’m going to hug Him in heaven one day …despite my mess. That’s enough for me. It really is.

If God says it, it’s important. Being joyful is important. And what I’ve learned as of late is that it’s much more than hanging on for dear life knowing Who is holds life. It’s enjoying life along the way. God Created a breathtaking world to behold, and it beckons to be discovered and played with!

I love people. I’ve never been more thankful to be knit the way I am, because I can’t imagine not noticing what I notice, and not laughing with all of the friends I’ve laughed with over the years.

“To you, home isn’t a place; it’s people.” Jennifer Dukes Lee, The Happiness Dare

Actually, One person. And oh, I can’t wait.

Father, Praise You for Joy! For happiness! Thank You for showing me how many different kinds of happy there are in this world. Only You would be so creative. Forgive me for forgetting that what makes me happy doesn’t always do the same for others. Help me to consciously navigate through life finding out what makes each friend happy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

What is your trademark laugh? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Happy Happiness,

Megs

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