Hey Swarm! I’m super excited today to introduce to one of my newest regular contributors. Remember I said things were hopping here at Frankly, My Dear . . .? Well, Josie Siler stepped up to write how having faith and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, this girl is having some pretty great moments and she’s going to share them with us!
I met Josie my first day at my first Blue Ridge Conference. We introduced ourselves and I kind of fangirled over her name. We bonded instantly. So when she recently agreed to be a contributor for FMD, I can’t tell you how thrilled I was, and still am.
Ladies and gentlemen, a warm round of applause, please, for Ms. Josie Siler and her Fun Faith Adventures! (raaaahhhhhhh……)
Fun Faith Adventures with Josie Siler: Laughter and a Motorcycle
by Josie Siler
I come from a family who love to laugh, play jokes, and be all-around mischievous. My Grandpa Marlowe was such a character. He had a laugh that would fill the room . . . and the next room too!
I have a photograph in my office of me and my grandpa laughing. We’re sitting at a table in the nursing home where he spent his last years before Alzheimer’s Disease took him home to Jesus.
At the bottom of the photograph are three sentences that were spoken more than any others during those last years:
“Well, we gotta have a little bit of fun every now and then. Well, we do, don’t we Josie?!” “Yup, we sure do grandpa!”
I keep this picture to remind myself that life isn’t always easy, but there is always a place for laughter and fun.
Grandpa’s situation was far from ideal. There was so much he didn’t understand, yet God blessed him with a heart of fun. His laughter brought joy to other patients and workers in that nursing home every single day.
I live with chronic illness and there are a lot of days that are far from ideal. Yet, I love to laugh. Recently my best friend and her family were visiting. Her oldest son asked, “Why do you laugh so much?!” After I stopped laughing, I didn’t have a very good answer for him, but I’ve had time to think about it.
I know why I used to laugh: it was a coping mechanism. I would laugh when I was uncomfortable or instead of crying. I would stuff all other emotions down and just laugh. I was living out Proverbs 14:13: “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.”
In the last few years God has taught me how to cry and feel my emotions. Now laughter is an overflow of the joy and peace I feel in my spirit. I feel like the Proverbs 31 woman who “is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future (verse 25).”
We can always experience joy because we walk with Christ. God holds each of our futures and He’s a good God. We don’t have to fear what may or may not happen because God not only knows what will happen, but how He will help us through it.
Having fun is a way to show God that we trust Him. If we’re so busy being worried about our future or a certain situation, we’re certainly not going to have any fun. We’ll be stressed out, grouchy people! However, if we can take intentional time in the midst of a trial to go and have a little bit of fun, it’s not only a stress reliever; it’s like a slap in the face to the Devil.
It’s as if we’re saying, “Hey God, I know You’ve got this. I’m not going to worry and I’m not going to wallow in a pit of fear. Help me out of this pit and let’s go have some fun together!”
Something fun that I like to do is ride motorcycle. I don’t get to do it often because of my health, but every time I do get to ride I have a sweet time of communion with God. I’ve had many a heart-to-heart with the Lord over the years from the seat of my Harley Davidson Nightster.
With the loud rumble of power echoing in my helmet, I’m in a world of my own. I can sing praise songs at the top of my lungs, pray out loud, or shout with joy and nobody is going to hear me. Driving a motorcycle is fun, a lot of fun.
The feeling of power you get when you roll back the throttle and accelerate down the open road is like none other. But even that can’t compare to the feeling of communicating with the all-powerful Creator of the universe. To know God and be known by Him on the seat of a Harley – frankly, my dear, it is a fun faith adventure!
Laughter and fun don’t happen by accident, and neither does faith. We must choose them, seek them out. Thankfully, they are there to be found, if we’re looking for them.
I’d love to hear from you. Share with me in the comments something fun that you love to do and how you meet God in that activity.
Josie Siler loves sharing God’s gifts of beauty, hope, and adventure. She’s an award-winning writer, a published author, and an award-winning photographer. She can’t seem to separate her two loves so she brings them together each week in a #BehindThePhotoFriday story. Josie is also the Vice President of Broken but Priceless Ministries and the Editorial Assistant for “Broken but Priceless: The Magazine.” When she’s not writing or taking pictures, you’ll find this biker chick riding her motorcycle, reading a good book, drinking coffee, eating chocolate, or shooting something at the range. Learn more about Josie at josiesiler.com.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Aww, I love this so much! Thank you for sharing, Josie, and for holding to laughter even through the hard times. Inspiring!
Jacqueline Patterson recently posted..Writer On Adventure and the Things I’ve Learned
Thanks Jacqueline! Have a joyful day! ~Josie
Hey Jacqueline, thanks so much! ~Josie
She amazes me, all the time. Just like you!
Molly Jo recently posted..Photoblogger William Kendall: Ottawa Welcomes the World
Wonderfully said, Josie!
William Kendall recently posted..Birthday For The Nation
Thank you, William! ~Josie
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She’s pretty good with the words things.
Molly Jo recently posted..Photoblogger William Kendall: Ottawa Welcomes the World