Casandra Martin

Laughter is coming from my family room. Kids are giggling, sharing secrets, and being silly. The dog is barking at the commotion that fills the room. It is the sound of our family being together. I love it.

Our daughter heads back to school in a couple of days. I am going to miss the laughter in the family room. We will still have fun, but the melody of voices will be different without her here. She brings her own unique note to the symphony that is our family.

I wonder if God smiles when He hears laughter coming from His family. I imagine that He delights in the sounds of lives being shared, tears being cried, joys being celebrated, hugs being given, and encouragement being embraced. Each one of His children brings a different note to the chorus of praise that rises into His throne room. He knows each one of our voices. He recognizes each face. Each heart is precious to Him. There is an empty space in the family room when one of us isn’t there.

You may feel lost in the crowd. You might assume that no one notices whether you are there or not. Perhaps you think that you don’t make a difference. You do. God sees. He looks for your heart. He longs for you to come into the living room with His family. Without you, we are a note short.

My Jesus Resolution today is laugh in the family room. I am not going to sit on the sidelines and just listen. I am going to link arms with God’s family and sing, pray, listen, celebrate, cry, and giggle. I am going to trust that God’s hears my note, and cherishes the times when we all laugh together. He loves it when His family is all together. Want to laugh with me?