~COUNT IT ALL JOY

"God will let you laugh again;
you'll raise the roof with shouts of joy."
~Job 8:21~

"Thanksgivings will pour out of the windows; laughter will spill through the doors. Things will get better and better. Depression days are over. They'll thrive, they'll flourish."
~Jeremiah 30:19~

"Their sorrow turned to joy, mourning somersaulted into a holiday for parties and fun and laughter."
~Esther 9:22b~

"Then it was time to go home. They were sent off by their new friends with laughter and embraces all around to report back to those who had sent them."
~Acts 15:33~ 

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Tonight, the "floaty scene" (as I like to call it) from the movie "Mary Poppins" came to mind (for some bizarre yet most likely not random reason)...

Shortly thereafter, my mind whimsically wandered to a wedding I went to last weekend.  The Scripture verses the bride and groom chose to be read during the ceremony were James 1:2-4.  When the pastor started reading, I realized it was the same passage from which the bride has taken a snippet and put on her facebook page; it caught my eye, as I had never seen this portion of the verses extracted and set apart by itself; it was neat, and it made an impression on me.  Here is what it quite simply says:

"Count it all joy."

And next, my thoughts bobbed along and then agilely alighted upon one of my favorite quotations from one of my favorite books, Jesus Calling (in which Jesus is speaking to the reader):

"Don't take yourself so seriously.  Lighten up and laugh with me.  You have me on your side, so what are you worried about?"

I don't know about you,
 but that sounds like a plan to me!

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SMILE, God loves you!!! ☺

...I mean it!

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"God has made me laugh,

and all who hear will laugh with me."

~Genesis 21:6~

"Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes. God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter."

~Psalm 14:7~

He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter.

~Psalm 30:5~

"On your feet now - applaud God!  Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence."

~Psalm 100:2~

"We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations - 'God was wonderful to them!'  God was wonderful to us; we are one happy people.  And now, God, do it again - bring rains to our drought-stricken lives.  So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, so those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing."

~Psalm 126~

"...she laughs with no fear of the future."

~Proverbs 31:25b~

 "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, and a time to laugh."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4a~

 "Likewise I, God, will comfort Zion, comfort all her mounds of ruins. I'll transform her dead ground into Eden, her moonscape into the garden of God, a place filled with exuberance and laughter, thankful voices and melodic songs. "

~Isaiah 51:3~

 "Young women will dance and be happy, young men and old men will join in. I'll convert their weeping into laughter, lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy."

~Jeremiah 31:13~ 

"God blesses you who weep now, for the time will come when you will laugh with joy."

~Luke 6:21b~ 

"Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down."

~Romans 12:15~

"You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him - with laughter and singing."

~1 Peter 1:8~

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*The quote from Jesus Calling is from the March 16th entry.  The entry for June 17th is also on the topic of joy and laughter ☺.

 

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