Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. (Proverbs 14:13 NLT) I have been around some pretty jovial individuals and wondered how they could be so genuinely happy in the midst of great times of struggle in their lives. There seemed to be a fountain of joy that came from deep within that just kept on giving. I have also been around individuals who are laughing, making light of circumstances, but who do not have any genuine joy in the moment. Their laughter does little more than conceal their true feelings. They are experiencing grief, sorrow, and pain - yet they mask it with laughter and lighthearted joking. What is the saddest part of it all is that when their laughter ends, they still have all that pain. It has taken me years to learn to 'read' the emotions of those around me. Learning to discern the 'true heart' of an individual is not something to be taken for granted. When God reveals something about the struggle another per...
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. (Matthew 4:18-22 NLT) I know I have said this before, but it bears repeating: God calls, we obey, and then he equips. We might get that a little backwards on occasion - thinking he needs to equip us with everything we will need to do whatever it is he calls us to do BEFORE we take steps to do it. I have found that it is in the 'doing' he gives us what is needed. The regular, 'common' stuff of everyday life ...