A couple of years ago my family told me I don’t laugh very much.

I argued with them to assure them I do laugh. But they were adamant than I didn’t laugh very much around them. It seems I was always trying to get something done or frustrated because they were goofing off when I needed help. My husband and my daughter rattled off all the reasons I didn’t laugh … and I realized something — they were right.

I wasn’t laughing very much, at least not at home.

The Gift of Laughter

Somehow I’d allowed all the tasks necessary for managing a home and the crazy schedules of a family including a pastor and a teenager, I’d taken on the role of
“Chief Get-It-All-Done Officer” … and I’d forgotten how much laughter makes life lighter — especially busy life.

OBSERVE

Strength and honor are her clothing and she can laugh at the time to come. Proverbs 31:25 CSB

I love Proverbs 31. I know it can often be an intimidating passage but for all of us Lopsided Living folks, this passage forms the foundation for everything we do.  And that includes laughter.

How is it that we can laugh at the time to come? What does that even mean?

Essentially, this idea of laughing at the time to come is rooted in a confidence in what the future will bring. Stop and think about that for a minute, do you have confidence in what the future will bring?

Sometimes I get so busy trying to work everything out and make the schedule puzzle fit together, I lose sight of the things that really matter.

And what really matters?

The things that last, the eternal things. At the end of my days, it is the relationships I’ve nurtured not the schedules I’ve kept that matter. Maybe you need that reminder too?

Let’s not get so busy we forget that what our kids want most isn’t our mom-ing but their mom.

REFLECT

The holiday season is rapidly approaching. It can be easy for us to get consumed with accomplishing all the things and end the holiday season without cherishing any of the moments.

How can you start now to prepare your heart and your schedule for the coming holiday madness? Carve out some time over the next week or so to evaluate what really matters and what could be let go. Remember, sometimes good enough really is enough.

RESPOND

Father, will you help us remember to laugh? Open our eyes to the little ways we lose sight enjoying our families.  Help us be present with the people we love.  May we laugh, knowing that you are holding it all together and we really don’t have to carry that burden.  May we be women who laugh! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Don't be so busy mom-ing you forget your kids want their mom! #lopsidedliving Share on X

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RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

This year I’ve got a brand new resource — Lopsided Living Advent. Beginning December 1, you’ll receive an email every Friday with a short devotion just for you and ideas and inspiration for enjoying the holidays without losing your mind. Each week’s email will include easy recipes, simple ways to serve, and conversation starters to share with your family plus printable and a Lopsided Living Advent reading plan and prayer guide.

I’ll be sharing even more details about this great new email series over the next couple of weeks but you can be one of the first to sign up and make sure you don’t miss a single week of ideas for meaningful experiences, memorable encounters, and managed expectations. Sign up below and you’ll get a welcome email with a fun printable you can use now.

Thank you for joining me as we choose SEEING THE GIFTS OF GOD IN EVERY DAY LIFE.  If you miss any of the posts in this series you can find them indexed here.  Also, if this idea of lopsided living appeals to you, be sure to join my FULL LIFE CLUB. Every month I send an email full of encouragement, inspiration, and practical ideas for living a full life even when you have a full calendar.

xoxo,

Teri Lynne