kenlassblog

You need to laugh today. Whatever it takes. A good joke, a funny TV show, a weird set of circumstances, something silly that happens to you, whatever it may be, you need a good hearty laugh. It’s one of the best medicines you will ever take.

Studies show laughing actually improves your immune system by activating antibodies. It strengthens your heart by dilating blood vessels and improving blood flow. It releases endorphins which help to alleviate pain and stress. It relaxes your muscles and improves your mood and general outlook on life. It’s also highly contagious. If you are around someone who is laughing loudly, it’s almost impossible not to start laughing yourself, even if you have no idea what is so funny.

So, if troubles have got you down today, or you just feel blah, find something that makes you laugh. Even if the joke is on you.

I am sitting at my breakfast nook, looking out the bay window at the bird feeder in my backyard. There is a feeding frenzy going on. Various birds are literally shoving others off the feeder in a desperate attempt to feed themselves. Suddenly, a larger bird, I think it’s a cardinal, soars to the feeder. All the others scurry away.

But instead of attacking the seed, the cardinal perches on top of the feeder, like a guard. Now several smaller birds, perhaps they are younger, come and light and begin to eat. The cardinal remains in his position until the little birds have had their fill and depart. Then he also flies off, having made sure those less fortunate than himself (or herself) have been adequately provided for.

I want to be more like that cardinal.

Every time I fire up my desktop computer I seem to get a notice telling me I need some sort of upgrade or fix. Apparently, there are constant bugs and security threats trying to invade my system, and the computer folks are diligently battling them and offering protective downloads. I guess you don’t have much choice but to accept them. Otherwise some virus will eventually get hold of your machine and compromise it.

When you think about it, life itself is a battle to ward off and protect yourself from evil, in all its forms. We need constant upgrades to reinforce that firewall that separates us from influences that will do us harm. The fixes are in God’s word, and in fellowship with believers.

So, when you get depressed and worried, download some good old spiritual prayer into your heart. Who knows? Maybe your improved faith will go viral!

If I am driving on the freeway and encounter a traffic back-up, it’s always a test of my patience. And I usually fail. Funny thing about it, if traffic is just moving, even if it’s just crawling along, I’m fine. I guess I still feel as though I am progressing toward my destination.

But when traffic stops completely, I immediately get antsy and fidgety. It’s like these moments of your life are being wasted. You’re making no progress toward anything. And you’re trapped in it. Cars in front and behind you. Traffic stopped as far ahead as you can see. No hope of quick resolution.

Life can be like a traffic back-up. You feel trapped in a bad situation with no hope. You need a strong foundation to get your life moving again. God and His word will clear the wreckage for you.

Did you ever make a typing error while trying to log in to one of your accounts, and then get a message allowing you four more tries before locking you out? Ever exhaust all your attempts and get told to try again in 24 hours? How frustrating is that?

Too bad life doesn’t come with notifications like that. We need to understand opportunities are limited. You only get so many chances to accomplish something important, something helpful, uplifting and loving. Today may be your last chance. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Neither is the person whom you might like to help.

So do something today that makes the world a little bit better of a place for someone else. Don’t get locked out of attempts to leave a positive legacy.

Sharon and I have been looking at refrigerators and dishwashers. Our current appliances need to be replaced. After a while they all start to look alike to me. And they’re all so expensive. You hate to spend that much money on something that doesn’t meet your needs. But you can’t put it off forever. At some point you just have to make a decision and pull the trigger on the purchase.

You can waste a lot of your life agonizing over alternatives and being afraid to take a step. It’s understandable we might fear being wrong, and therefore suffering the consequences. But putting things off and making no decision at all is worse. You might solve your problem if you choose a course of action. You have no chance at a solution if you don’t.

Don’t be afraid to fail. We finally chose our new refrigerator and dishwasher, and now we’re waiting on delivery. Will we be happy with our choice? Hopefully, but if not, we’ll start over again and learn from our experience. Life can be challenging but it doesn’t have to be worrisome.

Identify your problem and meet it head on. Attack your dilemmas. Don’t let them attack you.

Today I watched an old movie. A really old movie. “Captain Fury” was made in 1939. That’s before World War Two, and after America had recovered from the Great Depression. It was a corny old western. Must have been low budget. You could see punches missed by several inches and yet the victims would fly backwards and fall unconscious. In chase scenes you could tell the video was accelerated to give the impression of high speed. Desert backdrops looked like painted canvas, which, no doubt, they were.

Yet I enjoyed it thoroughly. The good guys wore white hats. The bad guys wore black. The good guys won. The hero kissed the leading lady, roll the credits. No blood, no profanity, no nudity, no moral ambiguity. Good conquered evil. End of story.

Old fashioned? You bet. But life really can be that simple. Do what’s right. Shun dishonesty. Love your neighbor. Be the hero of your own movie. The good guys always won in the 1930’s, and they still do.

I just found out that sixteen-year-olds in my state don’t even have to pass a road test anymore to obtain their first driver license. All they have to do is pass Drivers Ed. I’m so jealous. I was nervous as can be for days before my road tests, the first one of which I failed, before nailing it on the second try.

It’s a little disturbing knowing that there are thousands of young teenagers behind the wheel of powerful cars, whose knowledge and skill have not been verified by an independent examiner. I’ve read stories about Drivers Ed teachers who were just coaches who merely instructed their students to drive to fast food drive-thrus to get lunch.

So drive carefully out there. Expect the unexpected from the cars around you. There might be a lot of inexperience operating those other vehicles.

Was going through my bedroom closet the other day. Came upon a box containing all sorts of photos and mementoes from my working days. Many pictures of happy times with friends and co-workers that I haven’t seen or heard from in years. There were small plaques and paper weights and mugs given to me at speaking engagements and such. I ran out of space for them long ago.

It’s really time for me to put them out, but somehow I am having trouble bringing myself to do it. All of these precious friends were part of my past and, in some small way, influenced my life. To throw away their photos is to throw away those sweet memories as well.

So they’re going back in the box and back in the closet. God willing, I’ll dig them up in another few years and enjoy the memories all over again. There is much to be said for honoring and preserving the past. Some day I’ll be gone and my family will probably throw all this stuff out. But these relics have meaning for me, and I want them around, even if I seldom look at them. Is that weird?

One of those awards shows was on TV recently. I didn’t watch it, but I saw pictures from it. The celebrities walked down the red carpet in droves. Some of them showed up in ridiculous outfits, while others were nearly naked. It was obvious that these “stars” were desperate to stand out from the crowd. They plotted for publicity. So they wore bizarre designs they knew would be talked about.

Of course, it worked. They were the talk of the internet the next day. I guess we all crave attention and acknowledgement in our own way. We all want to be noticed and appreciated. It makes us feel secure and accepted.

The One who created you knows who you are, acknowledges you, loves you, and is working for your eternal happiness. You don’t have to look and act in ridiculous ways to get His attention. You are already on His red carpet.