31 Days of Fear{less}: Learning to Laugh

You should know- I'm a huge Proverbs 31 fan.

Some people get in a tizzy about this whole "ideal woman" thing- but I don't. I know that I'm not going to be perfect. I realize that. But, this lady (whatever her name is) lived a life that is worthy of the gospel. It's not just about how she sewed clothes or made dinner for her husband or whatever- it's about how she lived life. It's about how the way that she lived her life impacted the writer of Proverbs enough that he "put her in the book". It's about how the way she lived her life is still impacting generations today. You just can't deny the influence of this woman.

One of the verses that I've focused in on recently is Proverbs 31:25.

I don't know about you, but I don't often laugh at the days to come. Sometimes I laugh at what's going on in the here and now, but most of my thoughts about the future involved worry and fear. What am I going to do when I graduate? Where will I live? Will I have to move? How will I ever survive on a ministry salary? There are so many unknowns about my future- and it's kind of freaking me out, because I'm graduating in less than two months. Crazy, right?

Back to our Proverbs 31 woman. She lived a fear{less} life- and we can know this from this verse. She lived a life that was free from fear- and she laughed at the days to come. She laughed. She didn't just sit there with a stoic look on her face like, "Whatever life. Come at me." NO! She laughed. She "clothed" herself (figuratively, of course) with strength and dignity. Some translations say strength and honor. Whatever the case, she was strong in her faith. She trusted that God could and would take care of her troubles. She trusted that he could handle the storms that life would throw at her. So, instead of spending her days worrying about "what if" or "what may"- she laughed.

When I think about my life- that's how I want people to see me. I don't want to be known as the worry-wart. I don't want to be known as the girl that's always freaking out about what she's going to do in her life. I don't want to be known as the girl who's fear always held her back from living. I want to be known as the girl who lived fear{less}, the girl who laughed. 

So, baby steps. Maybe all my fears won't disappear overnight. Maybe it won't always be easy. But, maybe I can learn to laugh. Maybe I can learn to see the good in things- before I think about all of the bad. Maybe I can focus on the positive, the gifts, the things to be thankful for. Maybe life should be more about laughing, more about enjoying, more about standing strong and living a life of honor.