Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Dearest God,

The laughter of children can bring joy overflowing!  It can bless down to the cellular level!  It can inspire all those around them allowing joy to spread like wildfire!

This morning as I watched my grandchildren, ages 7 to 14, play a simple board game at our little primitive campground in the backyard, I found myself laughing out loud.  Their crazy antics and funny remarks made us all laugh.  We simply could not contain ourselves.

Laughter, that deep-in-the-gut joy, can erase disappointment and hurt.  It can buoy up a flagging soul.  It can repair a wounded spirit.  Laughter, the kind that comes from the depths of the human soul, is a gift from you.

Sometimes we hold back, not allowing ourselves the experience of joy.  We don't trust our inner self to explode with gladness.  We don't trust the world around us to see your transforming work in our lives.  We hold on to negative thoughts so we don't have to change.  We miss your touch, your inspiration, and your joy.

Joy can surely change us, O God, because laughter is natural, hope-filled, and a remedy for what ails us.

God of Great Joy,
you bless us
in the interior
of our soul.
You speak
to our depths,
those places
where life hurts,
and you
beckon us
to surrender
into your
waiting hands.
You blow
into us
the refreshing breath
of your
loving spirit.
Your gesture
of love
can first
make us smile
and then
give us cause
to laugh
with your spirit,
transforming us
into blessing
for all those
around us.
Make us laugh,
Great Creator,
so we
may fill
your world
with wondrous joy!

Love, Andrea