Welcome to the Funny Farm (22 page)

And to think I might have been at home obsessing about the stress in my life.

What was I thinking!

The Bible tells me that “every good and perfect gift is from the Lord.” I believe it. But, unlike things like stress and calories, these good gifts really are optional—I can choose to push them away, or I can embrace them with open arms.

I wonder how many good gifts I've left unopened because I was too stressed, harried, or just plain shortsighted to recognize them for what they were?

My life feels crazy sometimes. I know that yours does, too. There are lots of things we'd just as soon do without in our lives, but we don't always get to choose what goes and what stays. Which is all the more reason to embrace the good stuff God sends.

I'd say “stop and smell the roses,” but that's so cliché.

Instead, walk on the beach. Putter in your garden. Bicycle down a road made emerald by a canopy of treetops. Watch your kids play. Spend time with good friends. Listen to the wind. Take a deep breath, a nice break, a long nap. And while you're doing it, think good thoughts about the God who sends moments of respite into lives reeling with busyness.

And don't forget to laugh. Laugh whenever you can, as loud as you can. Laughter is healing. It's contagious. Best of all, it's free. And if there's nothing humorous in your life at the moment and you need a good chuckle, call Linda. She should be taking a nap right about now.

Karen Linamen
is the author or coauthor of nine books and is a contributing writer for
Today's Christian Woman
magazine. Formerly an editor with Focus on the Family, Karen is a frequent speaker at church and community women's events. She lives with her family in Duncanville, Texas.

 

Karen also loves hearing from readers and can be reached at the following addresses:

 

[email protected]

 

Karen Linamen

P.O. Box 2673

Duncanville, TX 75138

Other books by Karen Linamen

Sometimes I Wake Up Grumpy . . . and Sometimes I Let Him Sleep

Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt

Pillow Talk: The Intimate Marriage from A to Z

Parent Warrior: Protecting Your Children through Prayer

Happily Ever After: And 21 Other Myths about Family Life

I'm Not Suffering from Insanity . . . I'm Enjoying Every Minute of It!