She can laugh...

Proverbs 31:25  She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she can laugh at the days to come.

Applying my mascara last Sunday morning, I noticed that all manner of wrinkle lines were extending up and out from the top and bottom of my pursed lips.  Always on the lookout for natural things that will help me look, feel, and act younger, I remembered an article that I read somewhere at some point in time that said that if you smiled more, the less wrinkles you would have.  Since I’m not one to believe everything I read, I SO tried it!!  

It was quite a sight…me applying my make-up with the biggest, most fake smile you could imagine.  I resembled a goofy character from SNL.  But as I continued to smile from ear to ear, my smile turned to a giggle because I looked so darn nuts in the mirror. As I  pictured  my husband walking in while I was smiling, that giggle turned into laughing...ya know...hard. Like belly laughing.  Then tears...oh the tears...were messing up my freshly applied make-up but I wouldn't stop. As soon as I gained composure, the giggling began again. And I spent a good 5 minutes cracking myself up. 

And you know...it completely changed my morning. I mean...I wasn't  in a cranky mood to begin with; I guess I was just kinda blah...going through the motions to get on with my day, but by the time I finished my little experiment, I actually had joy. My heart felt lighter. My worries were absent in the midst of those moments.  And my inner voice was at peace.  It was good.  It was different. It was good.  

In the day after dayness of my journey, I hope I can remember this...that joy isn't something that just comes natural to me.  I'm fairly certain my husband would agree!  And neither is any other fruit of the Spirit. In this world where heartache, pain, bad news, monotony, and ick constantly surround us, joy is something to be pursued; and to obtain it takes action.   Plastering a goofy smile across my face while I apply make-up; finding a way to make unfunny things funny; waking up early to spend quiet time with the Lord; whatever I must do I must do!