Devotionals for the Heart: The Gift

The Gift of Laughter
A devotional by Tema Banner

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

–Job 8:21 (NIV)

As we turn the calendar to November, we who live in the USA think of Thanksgiving.

Many people in this country favor this holiday. Families and friends gather for the sole purpose of breaking bread and speaking aloud those things for which we are thankful. This holiday, more than any other, speaks to the heart of how God created us: as beings created to glorify Him with praises of thanksgiving and joy and to serve kindness up to our fellow man.

Family, health, and employment usually top the list of items on our gratitude list. But what God placed on my mind and heart to be thankful for today is laughter.

I was surprised to discover that the book of Job is tied with Genesis for the most mentions of laughter. If you have ever read the suffering and sorrow that Job endured, you too are likely surprised. Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for many years. But now as November arrives, I have other memories that darken my mind ahead of our family gathering. The first day of November marks the anniversary of the passing of my son, Steven.

Thoughts batter my mind of what I could have done differently, with hopes of a different outcome. Laughter is in short supply the week leading up to the first, fighting the threat of tears is more the order of the day. Laughter is one of the many joys that Steven brought into the lives of those he knew. The beauty is that laughter did not leave this world with him. God never promised an easy life or one that would fall into place as we plan. Life can change in a matter of seconds and leave you wondering what happened and asking if you will ever be able to smile again, let alone laugh.

Laughter is vital to our recovery, even when it is laughter through tears. The more I remember the laughter my son brought into my life, the more I laugh anew at his antics, and the more my heart heals. I realize that as Sarah said in Genesis 21:6, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” Laughter is indeed a gift, and it is not the only one that helps us heal. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that having a cheerful heart is also beneficial to our livelihood and health. These are gifts from God that we do not always think of when we are counting our blessings.

We live in a world that is bent on destroying the good gifts that God has bestowed on us. Therefore, we would be wise to cultivate the laughter and cheerfulness in our lives.

How can we do this?

First, ask God to open your eyes and your heart to the blessings He has given you. Sometimes we become accustomed to what we have, and we no longer recognize it as a gift from our loving Father (God).

Second, our brains are wired to think negatively, but we can change this by taking simple steps, such as writing out a scripture of hope and meditating on it, place it on your mirror so you’ll see it first thing every morning.

Third, recognize negative thoughts, give them to God and replace them with a positive thought.

It won’t happen overnight, but eventually you will create a good habit of positive thoughts which will make it easier to laugh and give you a cheerful heart.

Do you have an activity that brings you pleasure that perhaps has gotten lost over the past two years? My activity is walking. I enjoy nature and it is a special time between me and Jesus. Surprisingly, working from home seems to have curtailed my walking. It is important to push away from the world of work and take a stroll with God. He will refresh your soul and return laughter to your lips, just as He promised.

Let’s Pray: Thank you God for the beautiful gift of laughter! When I hear it flow uninhibited from the mouth of a toddler, I recognize what a beautiful gift you have given us. Thank you, Lord, for the memory of past laughter that still brings us joy. Lord, this Thanksgiving season bind the hearts of those who mourn with Your everlasting, unstoppable, love. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Writing stories that take the reader on a journey to parts unknown has been a lifelong love for Tema. She enjoys all history and continues daily to hone both her knowledge of history and her writing skills. 

God is her guiding light and the reason for every endeavor in her life. She is a member of the South Carolina ACFW chapter as well as an active member of her local RWA chapter, Carolina Romance Writers.

Tema has served as past President and Secretary as well as holding various chair positions of her local RWA Chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. She is the honored recipient of the Harold Lowery Service Award, presented by the Carolina Romance Writers.

God has gifted her with a loving husband, two children and four grandchildren who are the delight of her life.

In her spare time, she gardens and digs into genealogy for nuggets to use in her stories.

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Connect with Tema:
Website: https://temabannerauthor.com
Blog: www.temabannerauthor.com/blog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temabanner/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/tema.banner

Devotionals for the Heart: He Laughs

The Last Laugh
A devotional by Quantrilla Ard

“But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 

~Genesis 15:2 (HCSB)

One of my dear children loves to get the last laugh when things happen in our family. 

The words “That’s what you get, baby!” rang out loud and clear one day to my surprise as my two-year-old chided her brothers for something they had done. She is undoubtedly spirited and full of passion when identifying her brothers’ mishaps. Of course, she has a few challenges identifying her own. This, coupled with her comedic and ironic timing, makes laughter an everyday occurrence. With so many opportunities for giggles, I am reminded of the old adage, “He who laughs last, laughs best.” I’m so glad God has a sense of humor. Abraham and Sarah would probably agree.

Abraham and Sarah had waited, albeit not so patiently, for God to keep His promise to them through a son with whom He would establish His covenant. Sarah was long past childbearing age and well into her sunset years. Abraham was knocking on 100. God’s timing was then and is now often vastly different from our own.

In their story, the first laugh comes from Abraham, in his ninety-ninth year as God changes his name and again calls him to remember the promise He made years earlier as the story details in Genesis 17:17. The second laugh comes from Sarah, after a visit from three men, one of whom just happens to be God Himself (Genesis 18:12). They were hopeful yet equally despondent from the trials of waiting. One son Ishmael, through Sarah’s servant Hagar, had to be sent away because Sarah’s desperation and subsequent insecurity got the best of her. They are spent.

One question changes everything. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God asks as He calls Sarah out for laughing. And I can imagine in my mind’s eye that God is laughing to Himself at the look on her face. Within the year, as God had promised and re-promised, Isaac was born. And guess what Isaac’s name means? Yep, you guessed it, “He laughs.”

Is there a place in your life that seems desolate and barren? A place that feels forgotten? Have you held out hope only to see another year pass without God fulfilling a promise in or to you? I know I have. I have laughed at reminders that God sent my way, thinking that my season has expired and it’s just too much to expect that things will turn out the way He said they would. And then I hear God ask me, thousands of years later just as He did Sarah, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”

The answer is a resounding no. I see His promises come to pass in His timing, not my own. I wait sometimes patiently, sometimes not (thankful He loves me anyway). I can rejoice in my “Isaac” circumstances, and see that God indeed gets the last laugh.

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Absolutely nothing.

~*~
Author Bio:

Quantrilla (Quanny) Ard is a faith-based personal and spiritual development writer who lives in the D.C. Metro area with her husband and three littles. 

In addition to being a dedicated wife and mother, she is an entrepreneur, doctoral student, and curator of all things lovely.

As a woman on her own quest of shining a light on the shadowy, hidden places in her life, she writes as the PhDMamma about things she knows to be true in hopes to encourage others to do the same.

Her spiritual goals and her love for Christ propels her quest to share the journey with other women: to walk alongside them and encourage them with words, deeds, and wisdom. Quanny believes in the power that is within collective strength, community, and fellowship.

You will find her wherever people are sharing stories of triumph.

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Connect with Quanny:
Website - https://www.thephdmamma.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thephdmamma
Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/qyard08
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/quannyboo/

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Book Review and Giveaway for "Ordinary Graces"

Book title: Ordinary Graces
Author: Lucinda Secrest McDowell
Book Review by Alexis A. Goring

Ordinary Graces is a delightful devotional book written by Lucinda Secrest McDowell.

The author grabs the reader’s attention from the first page with this line: I was “that girl.” She then continues to describe how she used to be: “Striving. Enslaved. Rigid. Yes, a Christ-follower. Carrying around God’s gift of grace, but never bothering to open it and embrace its richness as a way of life.” She then states that she was the “last person you’d expect to be writing a book offering the many gifts of God’s ordinary graces.” But then she was "transformed by an encounter with Jesus" and He enabled her to write. And boy, can she write!

Ordinary Graces is a lovely, lighthearted gift that will point you to Jesus and encourage your soul. McDowell debunks the idea that you have to be perfect before coming to Jesus and exhorts the reader to realize that God loves them just as they are, without conditions.

This book is divided into three sections packed with devotionals that focus on core concepts of grace, strength, gratitude and life. The author’s tone is gentle yet firm, kind yet not afraid to correct. Every devotional in this book is backed by Bible verses. The readings on each page are clean in content, crisp in feel and comforting to the soul.

I’d recommend this book to everyone who needs a dose of encouragement!

*Litfuse Publicity Group provided me (Alexis A. Goring) with a complimentary copy of Ordinary Graces. My opinions in this book review are my own.

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Book blurb for Ordinary Graces: 

Everyone loves to receive a gift.

And God has given us many, such as his grace-the gift we don't deserve and can never earn. Promises from the One who declares we are already loved, already accepted, already created in his image. The question becomes, will we truly receive that gift? Will the reality of it actually change the way we think and notice and reach out?

God's Word will stand forever, in any season of life. These truths prompt us to respond with compassion and courage.

Through inspiring devotions, Lucinda Secrest McDowell reveals biblical blessings that remind us that: God's promises give us strength, God's grace can be most evident at our weakest points, a proper response to our abundance of blessings is simply gratitude, and the "more" we are all looking for is the same abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

Would you like to receive these gifts of ordinary grace? Join Lucinda in focusing on one word a day through devotional readings and short benedictions for any and every season to explore the many facets of Grace, Strength, Gratitude, and Life.

~*~
About the Author: 

Lucinda Secrest McDowell is passionate about embracing life - both through deep soul care from drawing closer to God, as well as living courageously in order to touch a needy world. 

A storyteller who engages both heart and mind, she offers "Encouraging Words" to all on the journey. 

A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Furman University, Cindy is the author of 13 books, including "Ordinary Graces," "Dwelling Places," "Live These Words," "Refresh!," "Quilts from Heaven" and "Role of a Lifetime." Whether co-directing the "reNEW - retreat for New England Writing," mentoring young moms, or leading a restorative day of prayer, she is energized by investing in people of all ages.

Find out more about Lucinda by visiting her website, http://EncouragingWords.net.SaveSave