Laugh in the Moment
Once upon a time our family lived in Minot, North Dakota. The running joke was, "Why not Minot?" To which we always answered, "Freeze'n the reason." Never have I experienced such an extreme cold. No one should ever walk outside and feel their nose hairs freeze up while loosing their breath in the wind hitting their face.
Despite the cold, Minot was a wonderful season of family made memories in a very special house. Eventually the Lord moved us on and we had to sell our house. At the time we only had two of the boys. They were quit young at the ages of 3 and 1 years old. Bundling them up was a process; once wrapped up and warm, it was rare that I took the time to unwrap them when running quick errands. And here is where my story really begins...
The realtor called last minute, informing me they were sitting in my driveway, could they come in? What?! No. OK, yes. I need this house to sell. The triple layered boys and I ran to the car, buckled as quickly as possible and headed to Target to waste time. Mommy should get a prize for that record sprint out of the house. As we walked into Target a small voice said, "Mommy, I need to pee." Of course, in my haste I forgot to make my potty training son go before adding layers.
The three of us squeezed into a single stall, much to small to remove the layers in time for the poor child not to have an accident. Now mind you I grew up in a house of girls and we weren't to the standing up phase yet. So I did what any good mommy would do...helped with his pants, sat him down and squished back the sweater, coat, scarf and gloves. Just as I was settling back in a squat with the other boy in my arms, I heard it before I felt it. Pee. Coming straight at me like I was the bulls eye on a target.
"POINT DOWN!" I screamed, while using the child in my arms as a shield.
Oh my gosh, yes! I did just admit to that! The screaming continued while I hid behind my son. But there is no pointing down when you have short toddler arms encased in layers of warmth. And so when the tank was finally empty, the stall wiped up to the best of our ability, we exited the restroom soaked in urine with 30 minutes to still waste. I forgot to mention that my tiny human shield was holding a cookie at the time. Needless to say it was inedible and we all needed a prize now.
After a stop at Starbucks, I'm not sure why, but I began to giggle. Can you imagine what the other people in the bathroom were thinking?! Or the people walking by us as we meandered the dollar spot as if nothing had happened? Giggles are contagious & soon we were belly laughing.
Life is full of frustrating moments. We run out of time or resources; our plans come up short or our schedules hit a road block. But they are still moments ordained by God. We must choose to respond or react. Rather than allowing anger, worry or even slight frustration grip us, we can take a deep breath, smile and find a reason to rejoice. We can choose to laugh.
Laughter is a stepping stone to posturing our heart in humility. It gives us a clear outlook on our situation. When I laugh I can admit to mistakes. When I laugh I can see a need I would have otherwise missed in my anger. When I laugh I can show my children and anyone else watching that I believe in the merciful sovereignty of a God who wants to use each moment in our lives to be known by His creation.
