October 17, 2016
If your home does not ring with laughter, you're headed for trouble. Years ago, my wife and I took the children on a road trip. When we started out, one of the back windows was down. I turned the air conditioning on, so I asked my son David to put the window up, and he did.
And after awhile, I heard the roaring sound of the wind behind my ear again. The window is down! I said, “David, son, put the window up and leave it up.” And it went back up. A few minutes later, it was down a third time.
This time I turned around and said, “David, if that window goes down one more time, there’s going to be some serious trouble in this car. Do you understand that, son?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
And then I looked over there on my side. And there were the controls, where I could lower his window. And I pushed the button and his window went down one more time.
Joyce turned around and said, “David!” Then everybody realized that Dad had done it. We all had a big laugh! And the tension dissipated. That’s what laughter will do! Let me tell you something about raising children: be firm, be fair, be fun.
Proverbs 17:22, " A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”