Live, Laugh, Give

For this first installment of "Live, Laugh, Give" I'm going to keep it rather simple, with some ideas that I live by as often as possible. Every week, here, I'll discuss one practical way to live your life by the Bible, and Jesus' example, one way to enjoy the little things, even in the midst of hard times, and one way to give back to those around you.

Live:

Jesus teaches us the value of children several times through his gospels. But he demonstrates it in such a great way in how he reacts to them in Matthew 19. With all the "adult" stress and cares in the world, it can be so easy to look over the children in our lives and rush through evenings and weekends in a flurry of all the things that we just really need to get done. If we don't take the time while they're young to teach them the important things in life, they'll miss out on how great a lifetime of joy and serving God can be. Let's encourage our little children to come to Jesus . . . and us. In doing so, I think we can learn more about who Jesus really is, when we see him through their eyes. Plus, we get to enjoy time with them that we'll never have back.

Laugh:

In a family of 4, everyone is busy with something all the time. It's really difficult to find the time to spend with your spouse you both deserve. The not-so-laughable part of this tip is this: make a schedule for evenings and stick to it. Kids in bed at the same time every night. I myself, at this time, am usually tempted to kick back and unwind playing video games or surf the net. I'm sure you all have your own vices like this. This lifestyle makes it really easy to forget why you fell in love in the first place. Turn off the TV at least one or two nights a week and just talk. You may rediscover a romance that you thought had been replaced by soccer games and 2 am feedings.

Give:

Everyone of us has been touched by cancer. 1 in 7 people will die from it. Local communities across the U.S. will be having the Relay for Life next month, and typically do various types of fundraisers for cancer victims and research. Find your relay event here, and ask what you can do to help. This is a great cause, and one that benefits all of us directly or indirectly. With the amazing advances in science we're making recently, I can't believe that a cure for cancer is that far off. Maybe the few dollars you spend sponsoring a walker, or buying a cake will be the final straw in defeating this disease.