On the walk to church yesterday morning, the two smallest were trailing behind, holding hands, and very much enjoying themselves. Eliot yelled, ‘Let’s SKIP all the way to church!’ and they began to skip. Then Curie yelled, ‘No, let’s HOP all the way to church!’ and they began to hop.
Then Eliot pulled them to a sudden halt, eyes twinkling turned to her and said, “NOOOOO .. let’s LAUGH all the way to church!’
And that is exactly what they did the rest of the way. Full throttle, hardly-able-to-stand, belly laughing. And the harder one of them laughed, the harder it made the other laugh, and so on. We finally entered the big old doors, all encompassed by riotous laughter.
Often, I feel the struggle in getting our big family to church. There’s always a missing shoe, or lost keys, or a dispute that has to be settled. So sadly and too often, I walk in those big beautiful doors already tacked with some frustration or anxiety, shoulders carrying weight.
But not today. I am continually amazed at the sheer power of laughter, and of joy. We castrate that power way too much, pigeonhole it as simple and benign – when it fact, it changes people; it changes atmospheres. It breaks things off that are trying to stick to us. It pushes back even the most oppressive darkness and empowers supercharged growth-lights.
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Not the endurance of the Lord, or the courage of the Lord? Really, God? Your JOY?! You’re saying that choosing joy, embracing joy, makes me stronger? Is the way my whole family grows in strength?
I am thinking that perhaps we’ve found a new way to get our family to church.