Sometimes when I do something wrong I refer to myself as a monkey. I say, "Oh, Bryan, You Monkey." It is a lot better than using a profanity as some people do, especially when the computer has done something wrong, or is it the user? It is just easier to blame the computer and sometimes there is no other explanation than computer error.

Monkeys are animals that are funny. You may have seen them in a zoo or a cell phone commercial. Sometimes during half time of a championship game there is a monkey doing something silly in another commercial. You see their funny ears or their mouths move in a strange fashion. They jump up and down, possibly laughing at those silly humans and their strange antics.

But that is what is so great about monkeys. They are intelligent and remind us of ourselves and the funny things we do not like admitting about ourselves. When you can laugh at something you are thinking about or doing, it is so much nicer than being angry with yourself. "We are our own worse critics," as the popular phrase goes. But yet laughter is a way to let our guards down and just be ourselves.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; NKJV

So there is a time to laugh. It says it in the Bible. That is not to say that we should find a time to laugh at another person's folly. To do this makes ourselves vulnerable to having our own pride destroyed.

Sometimes people do not want to let their guards down at all, so laughter will not come easy to such a person. But maybe they may laugh in private as they curl up with a good book next to a warm fireplace on a cold winters night.

Why is that life can be so hard sometimes? Is it because we make life harder than it really is by letting any phobias we have control us. We can jump, we can laugh, we can fear, and we can pick ourselves up when we are down.

But in order to really live the good life, we need to be in fellowship with God. We can only go so far and then we need God to help us the rest of the way. He can carry us when we feel there is no way out of a situation that needs a person to let us cry on their shoulder. God can give us that shoulder. He can make our lives better. He can help us in unimaginable ways.

It is so easy to get caught up in our own BS. Please excuse this phrasing but sometimes we really need to take a really good look at ourselves rather than getting caught up in some long addiction that gives us a temporary reprieve, but ultimately serves to get us closer to our own demise.

So laughter during this time is important. We need to be able to laugh at ourselves. Try thinking of yourself as a monkey. Be the monkey for a moment here. Think about how he/she is and that they may not feel there is a care in the world. Be the monkey. Try to walk in the monkey's shoes, if they have any. A monkey in shoes, what a funny site that would be. See there is humor. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

We can choose to fall down into the chasm of our own occasional distaste for life or we can try to help others. Ahhhhhhhh! Here is a key to happiness. We can either wallow in self pity or we can learn to help others in their time of need.

You see, there is a tendency for a lot of people to drown there sorrows in drink. Then they swagger home from the bar or go and pass out on the bed upstairs. But then the next morning they have a bad hangover and feel even worse so they drink more. This they do not realizing what they are doing to their liver. They do not realize what they are doing to the relationships they have with people. They can only see the sorrow and the grief and the desire to chuck it all and not really care.

Deuteronomy 1:21 Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged. NKJV

This is a time to say, "I need others! I need to seek guidance from God. I need to find ways of helping others.

So what happens when you help others? When you are helping others, you are not wallowing in self-pity. You are not letting drink be your king. You are instead making a difference in somebody else's life. You are giving them a gift you are probably looking for yourself. And isn't that what life should be about? Shouldn't life be about men and women helping others and being part of a group of people who care.

Just think about a problem that you are having and try to think about others who are starting that problem or in the beginning stages of a problem, and just think how good you would feel trying to be the person that they would hope to see. A type of person who cares.

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that what you are doing is helping someone else in a time of need. But you can't do it without Gods help. He will guide you because He knows all the people that are hurting. He knows about all the grief and the sorrow and he knows all the fearful people who could really use a person who knows what they are going through and can relate.

They see people aren't really interested in money, they are interested in what money could give them. A better life and a feeling of security. But you could have those feelings by helping others. By helping others that are going through a negative trying time in their lives, you can begin to understand that Gods love is everywhere and wouldn't you like to be the one that helps to pass on that love?

Wouldn't you like to spread some laughter into this world and brighten another persons life? If you did you would find the rewards amazing. What a gift for others and for you. A gift that just keeps giving.

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes I get so caught up in my life, I don't even realize that if I could make another person laugh or let them know that somebody cares, that I could be giving them a gift that is so far-reaching in love as to be truly amazing. Help me to give of myself to someone who is hurting and let me share the wealth of your love, Lord. And I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill