"Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much"

"A joyful heart is a good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." - Proverbs 17:22

Life! Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. Days that never seem to end. Problems that just seem to pile higher and higher. So many things that compete for our attention every minute. The older we get, the more serious things seem. As we get knocked around a little by life, the days, more often than not, can seem a little more discouraging and exhausting. Daily heartaches can suck our strength, and attacks that seem to come from all sides can discourage and beat us down.


While this may not be every day, there are days when we feel like this. Days where that mountain is just a little too high to climb. It is on days like this, that sometimes I have a hard time focusing on the things that are important. When surrounded by this, it is easy to miss the things that really matter. Earlier this year, I ran across a very familiar poem by Bessie Anderson Stanley called "Success". She wrote the poem in in the early 1900's, and I can think of few things more applicable to life today:

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction. 

As I read and reread this short and simple passage, I could not get past the first line. Three phrases stuck out to me, six little words, that sum up what each and every day should be for us. Three things that should be the most important descriptions for our lives. When faced with that overwhelming "stuff" of life, three ideas, three Biblical principles can encourage us and strengthen us on this path we walk.

"Lived Well". No verse in Scripture better sums up this idea than Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good work and glorify your Father which is in heaven." This simple idea of living our life well is so important. It is the idea of doing your best, giving your all, never quitting. It speaks of our actions, thoughts, and words. It encompasses our family, job, service, and everything that we are. Living well should be our desire, and should encourage us to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

"Laughed Often". Sometimes, as we get older, we forget this one. We fail to remember the simple truth found in Proverbs 17:22. When we are robbed of our joy and laughter, we lose our strength, and sometimes, find it impossible to go on. In working with children, I love to watch how easily they can go from the depths of sorrow, to a hardy belly laugh in the matter of seconds. As they laugh, the sorrow and exhaustion is forgotten, and once again they are renewed. Laughter has the power to heal and renew, and it is one we too often forget we have. Each day, there is joy and laughter - even in the darkest of times. Each day, we need to simply stop and laugh, and find joy in the little, everyday things that so easily get crowded out by the "other stuff".

"Loved Much". I am not sure there is a phrase that better encompasses the message of Christ to us. His love for us was the basis for His sacrifice (John 3:16), and it should be the driving force of our lives. How often are we told to love our neighbors and love one another? In Corinthians 13, there is a whole chapter devoted to what love looks like, and how it should impact our daily lives, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails." When our love is great, it overcomes our fears and sorrow, and strengthens us to carry on. It is our testimony of Him to the world around us, and impacts others in a profound and everlasting way.

Lived well, laughed often, and loved much. Three simple phrases, that when lived out, will change and impact our lives and the lives of those around us in more ways than we can possibly imagine. There are so many more lessons we can learn from this simple poem, and many more we will look at in coming entries, but for today, live well that others may see His glory. Laugh often at the simple things of life and renew your joy. Love well, and so fulfill the life to which Christ has call you.