4 minute read<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.\u201d (Proverbs 31:25 NIV)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A woman whose trust is in God laughs at the days to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Placing our hopes and dreams in God\u2019s hands is the safest place for them. As we move from one year into the next, we know uncertainty lies before us. A year like 2020 proves we aren\u2019t in control; God is. No one could have predicted the events that occurred in the past 365 days. And we have no idea what the next ones will bring either. But if we have faith in God, we can move into the new year without fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A woman of noble character knows where her strength comes from each day. She understands the delicate balance of truth and grace we find in Jesus. Her attire begins by cloaking herself in God\u2019s goodness. Her intimate relationship with her Creator is the foundation of her life. As a result, she can laugh at the days to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let laughter lead.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Give up trying to control life; instead, embrace the life God gave you. This time of year is an excellent time to review what to take with you into the new year, what you want to leave behind. If you have a habit that is causing division for you in your relationship with God, leave it behind. Instead, develop a new mindset that will give you joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rick Warren<\/a> is pastor of Saddleback Church<\/a> in California. In April of 2013, his son committed suicide over Easter weekend. When Rick and his wife, Kay, went to their son\u2019s home, they waited in the driveway for the police to arrive. As Kay stood in her husband\u2019s arms, she held the necklace Rick gave her in her hand. A year earlier, her book titled \u201cChoose Joy: Because Happiness isn\u2019t Enough<\/a> became available. As a token of her accomplishment, Rick gave her a necklace with \u201cChoose Joy\u201d as its pendant. Now, in what I can only imagine is one of the most challenging ordeals a mother can face, she follows her advice, clinging to those words. As she waited for the police to confirm what she already knew in her heart, she chose joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can choose joy too. You can lead with laughter in the year to come because you chose God. Clothe yourself in Christ. Instead of focusing on your fears and apprehensions, focus on God\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForget the former things; do not dwell on the past See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.\u201d (<\/em>Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2020 is over; 2021 is a new adventure. Let go of what was, embrace what is. Choose joy in the moment. Laugh at the days to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Question of the Day:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How can you choose joy in 2021?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further Reading:<\/strong> <\/a>Malachi 3:1-4:6 NIV<\/a>, Revelation 22 NIV<\/a>, Psalm 150:1-6 NIV<\/a>, Proverbs 31:25-31 NIV<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 4 minute read \u201cShe is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.\u201d (Proverbs 31:25 NIV) A woman whose trust is in God laughs at the days to come. Placing our hopes and dreams in God\u2019s hands is the safest place for them. As we move from one year into… Continue reading WHO CAN LAUGH WITHOUT FEAR OF THE FUTURE?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2984"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2986,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2984\/revisions\/2986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}