"Strength and dignity are her clothing, she laughs at the time to come" (Proverbs 31:25 ESV).
This beautiful Proverb provides an illustration of what a woman who trusts God limitlessly looks like. She is clothed in the strength that she gets from the Father. She is dignified in the eyes of her God. And instead of fearing the future, she laughs, because she has faith that her Father in Heaven has a plan for her.
A week ago I discussed two reasons for why we should not worry: we have a lot to be thankful for and the fact that stressing doesn't actually do anything to improve the situation. However, just to drop all feelings of anxiety is not something that can happen overnight. So how do we stop stressing?
We laugh. We must be able to laugh at ourselves. We need to learn not to take ourselves or our circumstances too seriously. When we laugh, life becomes much less threatening.
Studies show that a good laugh not only boosts the immune system, but it also leaves your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after the laughter. Not just a good laugh, but smiling makes any stressful situation feel lighter and relaxes the heart. One of my old coaches used to yell at us during our conditioning. He would say, "fix your face!" By this, he meant to smile. Smiling actually made the workout feel easier and more bearable to get through. A simple thing such as an upturn of the lips can completely change how we see a situation.
Going back to Proverbs, this woman of God laughs at the times to come, or she has no fear of the future. This Proverb provides that hard things in life are inevitable. This woman knows that there will be difficult times in her future, but she has such a faith that these things do not scare her, she laughs knowing that these stresses are nothing in comparison to the glory that God provides.
I also think what this Proverb highlights is how small our stresses really are. Chances are, something that is really stressful in this present moment won't even be on your mind in a week. The stressor that seems like it is going to make the world end and the sky come crashing down, most likely will not affect you in a month from now. If this is true, then why do we let it eat us alive? As it says in another Proverb, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17:22). We only have a limited time on this Earth. Let's spend it laughing, not stressing.
