1. Everything is more fun with the people you love.
One of my daughter's favorite things to say to my husband and me is, "C'mon, you guys!" Whether she's about to play with blocks, listen to her favorite jams, or look out the window, she knows she's going to enjoy it much more if we come along with her. She has instigated many a family dance party or art project with those three simple words, and I have to confess she's right. Whatever my mood was before, when I'm standing in the room with the people on earth I love the most doing just about anything, I find my mood getting better, a smile takes over my frown, and I lose track of time! This is true with my husband and kids. It's equally true with my best friends. Whoever "your people" are just find a way to spend time with them. If you don't have a spouse, be sure you have some great friends. If your family of origin is awful, find friends that will be your chosen family. If you and your spouse are longing for little ones and it is not yet happening, get back to having fun as a couple. God intentionally designed us to want to be in relationships with other people, so it is vital that we foster those relationships in our lives by spending time together. Go bowling. Go for a walk. Go play laser tag. Go talk over coffee. Just go and do something with people who have your back!
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.... A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9,12
2. There IS a time to dance!
No, that's not just a quote from Footloose, it's actually from Ecclesiastes too! We do a lot of dancing as a group in our home. My daughter may instigate it now, but she came by it honestly, because I've been having dance breaks with my best friend since my single days (Regina, you know what I'm talking about). It is nearly impossible to stay ticked off, sad, or lonely when you're dancing. Put on the song that compels your body to shimmy and shake and get your dance on. Now, I know some of you are saying, "Janay. I. Don't. Dance." Fine, close the blinds, pull the curtains, turn off the lights, and in a room all by yourself, turn up your favorite jam and SHAKE IT!! No one has to know. No one has to see. Whether your jam is by Nirvana, Gretchen Wilson, Prince, Tupac, Nsync, Earth Wind and Fire, Paramore or Mary Mary (I'm not ashamed to admit, I've been known to dance to all of these.) Whatever the genre, however good or bad your moves, in a group or Billy Idol style ("Dancing With Myself") a daily dance break will help you shake off the worst of your day and clear your mind of some of the junk!
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens,...a time to mourn and a time to dance...." Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
3. Ask someone their name; you might just make their day.
If there is one question I know I'm going to hear from Faith everyday, that question is, "Mommy, can I ask her her name?" She has asked me this question at the Gap, the dry cleaners, the playground, the drive-thru, and pretty much anywhere else we have taken her. If there is a new face in front of her, she wants to know his or her name. I have to confess, the first time she wanted to know the drive-thru person's name, I blew her off with some lame answer. For some reason I can not explain, I was not comfortable asking the lady sticking her head out of the window at Taco Bueno what her name was. I had no problem asking her for extra jalapeños, but asking her name seemed weird. It has now been a few months, and not only do I ask, I roll down the back window and let Faith ask directly. Yes, most people react at first with surprise, but you know what comes next every single time? A smile! Typically, the people we are asking are cashiers or store clerks or working in some capacity and are accustomed to people expecting them to offer a service without being acknowledged as a person. It took my two year-old's genuine interest in people to make me see how easily we look right through others, and how good we can make them feel by looking right at them, acknowledging them as a person, and being interested enough to ask something as simple as their name. Think of how much it means to us to know that our heavenly Father calls us by name. Surely, we can offer a fraction of His love by calling those we encounter each day by their name.
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." Isaiah 43:1b
4. Have a little Faith.
Yes, for me this sentence has double meaning. Having my own little Faith in my life brings me immeasurable joy. If you have a child you know what I'm talking about. If you have lost a child and/or are still longing for a child, I pray for your broken heart and pray that you can know this joy personally whether you give birth, find a surrogate, adopt or whatever! But this last point is not actually about my child, it is about the other meaning of this phrase. It's about believing in the things you can't see. No one can believe in the intangible better than a little kid. My daughter is absolutely sure that her father is going to come home at the end of each day, swoop her up into his arms, tell her he loves her, and just delight in her company. She doesn't doubt it. At some point each day, she will tell me something that "my Papa" is going to do, say, fix, or solve. He is her protector, her hero, her fixer, and her source of all knowledge and wisdom. If she asks me a question that I can't answer, she replies, "I'll ask Papa, he knows." Her absolute faith in her father is a daily reminder to me that I too have a Father that I can have absolute faith in. My heavenly Father is my protector, my hero, my fixer, and my source of all knowledge and wisdom. There is no problem He can't solve, no hurt He can't heal, no question He can't answer. He loves me perfectly and completely. He delights in me. The same is true for you. As you walk through your day, put yourself back in the position of being a child with a Father who is waiting for you to run into His arms at the end of the day, so He can tell you that He loves you and remind you that you are His and He is yours. With a child-like faith, you truly can get back to enjoying the good stuff that life has to bring!
He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. Psalm 18:19
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