Sane, Simple, Sacred: Don't Shoot Butterflies with Rifles

Don't Shoot Butterflies with Rifles

Today in Streams in the Desert (Volume 2)

Are you worsted in a fight?

Are you cheated of your right?

Laugh it off.

Don't make tragedies of trifles,

Don't shoot butterflies with rifles--

Laugh it off.

Does your work get into kinks?

Are you near all sorts of brinks?

Laugh it off.

If it's sanity you're after,

There's no recipe like laughter--

Laugh it off.

Laughter is a GREAT medicine! If you need to be reminded, here's ONE site that lists many of the benefits of laughter. I laughed this morning. I'd rather not tell you that it was at a parody on a conservative talk show, but it was! (I listen on this almost obsolete radio/tape deck that sits on my kitchen counter and successfully plays my almost obsolete cassette tapes.)

By the way, did you remember that:

Abraham fell face down and laughed (Genesis 17:17)

Sarah laughed to herself (Genesis 18:12) and said, "God has brought me laughter" (Genesis 21:6)

The returning captives' mouths "were filled with laughter" (Psalm 126:2

The prepared woman can "laugh at the days to come" (Proverbs 31:25)

There IS a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

You who weep now "WILL laugh" (Luke 6:21)

What have YOU laughed at lately?

16 comments:

DianaJanuary 19, 2011 at 3:57 PM
Your background is beautiful Rebecca! I loved this post, especially since I had such a great laugh today. Went out to lunch with my DIL and grandson. He told a joke, couldn't understand a word he said but we were all in hysterics!
I carry that moment with me today, it was great!
BTW, Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books.
Love Di ♥
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Janettessage.blogspot.comJanuary 19, 2011 at 4:10 PM
Yes, Yes, Yes...I will have to copy out this poem...I want to laugh...which I started doing at the beginning of this post...a cheerful heart is good like medicine...I should put in an old Lucy show tonight and laugh!!!

Laughing also burns up calories!!!
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RebeccaJanuary 19, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Janette, Lucy ALWAYS made me laugh (as does Hyacinth in the British Comedy, Keeping Up Appearances).
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RebeccaJanuary 19, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Di, I play around with the free backgrounds but have other issues that seem to come with them. This one is one that came with Bloogger's design template. It seems appropriate to Valentine's Day, no?
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DeeJanuary 19, 2011 at 5:16 PM
I love to laugh...My favorite thing about back road wandering with Sue is we always laugh our cares away. :) I bet Heaven will be full of joyful laughter.
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Heather's Blog-o-ramaJanuary 19, 2011 at 5:55 PM
I do love to love. My dad and I laugh a lot. I was also noticing how nice your blog looks. The new Blogger design template. Wa sit easy to pick your own backgrounds etc? Did you feel like blogger gave you some good choices? Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)
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RebeccaJanuary 19, 2011 at 6:27 PM
Dee, I think so, too (about Heaven, I mean).
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RebeccaJanuary 19, 2011 at 6:28 PM
Heather, There are many choices in the new template designer. Just none quite so feminine and flowery as are available elsewhere.
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BernieJanuary 19, 2011 at 7:17 PM
Lovely new look my friend. I love to laugh and today at my doctor's appointment we shared a belly laugh but only he and I would "get" it.
You are one of the most encouraging woman I know and I love you for it.....:-)Hugs
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PamelaJanuary 19, 2011 at 8:54 PM
E.E. Cummings thought a day without laughter was wasted. I tend to agree with him. Sometimes I forget and get all sober as I write but then Emily comes through the door from school and before I know it I'm laughing. It's certainly God-given!
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myletterstoemilyJanuary 19, 2011 at 10:19 PM
my oldest son's name is isaac which means
'laughter.' and boy does he love to laugh.
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Jacquelyn StagerJanuary 20, 2011 at 7:11 AM
everyone is talking about your lovely new look. What I am seeing is just red on the sides and your scripted blog title. It does look nice and clean, but am I missing something else? Oh and I do see that it is "spread" out...now how did you DO that? Yes, it DOES look very nice!

well, I needed to read this yesterday, which I did but didn't take time to comment. I wasn't laughing because of some petty things someone did that were a bit insulting. But I must not allow that stuff to steal my joy so thanks for the reminder!

You already know what really makes me laugh and that is my grandkids and all the cute things they do and say. And I was laughing out loud at Diana's comment about her grandson's joke telling. No wonder Jesus told us to become as little children! They'll be here in less than an hour so I'm looking forward to some good laughs today!
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Jacquelyn StagerJanuary 20, 2011 at 7:13 AM
Well NOW I see what everyone is talking about! All of a sudden there are beautiful deep red roses! You got this from the blogger templates???!!! WOW!
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BrendaJanuary 20, 2011 at 7:57 AM
Loved your poem and title. I chuckled at a story my walking partner told about herself.

I chuckled at something a friend said on FB . . ."just finished a salad we "doggie-bagged" last night from California Pizza Kitchen, and realized more than half-way through it that it wasn't the salad we had at the restaurant. uh ewe....Should I use listerine or syrup of ipecac?"

and another friend said, "Josh was learning about the q and u today in pre-k. He says,'you know they are friends mom,' and I said,'yes.' He looks at me and asks,'how did they meet?'"
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Lori ZehrJanuary 20, 2011 at 8:32 AM
Nice reminder. Now as for Lucy fans, I've got to be one of the most dedicated! I love the old shows and my daughtrer comments that I can usually tell which episode it is within the first 30 seconds. I think I'll watch one again soon--thanks for the reminder!
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elaine @ peace for the journeyJanuary 21, 2011 at 12:39 PM
A good dose of lunch laughter today. Ms. Frances came by to take me to the lunch counter; she's a hoot and blesses me with her tales about her life.

Good medicine for the soul!

peace~elaine
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"We simplify, not just to be less busy, even though we may be right to pursue that. Rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ. We prune activities from our lives, not only to get organized, but also that our devotion to Christ and service for His kingdom will be more fruitful. We simplify, not merely to save time, but to eliminate hindrances to the time we devote to knowing Christ. All the reasons we simplify should eventually lead us to Jesus Christ!" (Donald S. Whitney)

Dedicated to my sister-in-law, Beth--a TRUE home manager....

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." --Lydia Sherman

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry,
and see a fine picture every day of his life,
in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Contentment makes poor men rich.

-Benjamin Franklin

"What I am gradually discovering is that in the writing I come in touch with the Spirit of God." ~ Nouwen

~~"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting."~~Edmund Burke

C.S. Lewis: "To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in trusting a person if you wouldn't take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him."

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony." William Henry Channing

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Apostle Paul: "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

"It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand. It stops us from taking anything for granted. It has also taught me alot about living in the immediate moment. I am somehow managing to live one day, one hour at a time." Madeleine L'Engle

FIVE CERTAINTIES
WITH WHICH TO
START YOUR DAY

God holds you. Each day he carries us in his arms. Psalm 68:19 NLT
God sustains you. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1 AMP
God covers you. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust. Psalm 91:4 AMP
God pours His love upon you. Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me. Psalm 42:8 NLT
God will not fail you. The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Lamentations 3:22 NLT

THE BLOGGER'S PRAYER Lord, help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me, dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.
Love, The Dust Bunny Hostage

Sane, Simple, Sacred

Mercy

Don't Shoot Butterflies with Rifles

16 comments:

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