Laughter

When was the last time you had what we call a good “belly laugh?”  When I start recalling some of those times, it brought a big smile to my face,  moments I enjoyed with both family and friends.  Laughter is so vital for both our mental health and for our souls.  And many times, those stories that I’ve heard from friends and family, can be told over and over again and still never get old.

 It could be something that happened from our childhood, something really silly we said or did (what my family calls ‘Donnaisms’).  Or my experience when my husband unexpectantly started doing “donuts” with our car in an empty parking lot, resulting in four good friends and passengers laughing till we cried.  Another one of my memories that is at the top of my list is when my brother-in-law picked me up and placed me on top of the refrigerator (and this was as an adult)!  Laughter, I think you’ll agree, is the best medicine for our health and we don’t do it enough.  Did you ever think of Jesus laughing?

 There is a great picture hanging in a retreat house that my girlfriends and I have visited many times over the years.  My one friend fell in love with this picture of Jesus, his head thrown back just a little bit; and by his beautiful expression, one can see he was having that good “belly laugh.”  I wonder, when I gaze at that framed picture, which now has a place of honor in our guest room, what Jesus was laughing about.  I take for granted and forget that He was just like you and me, experiencing all the same emotions, both highs and lows.

 Just for a moment, can you picture Him, tears running down his face, while He journeyed down long, dusty roads, and sharing stories with his disciples of their many experiences along the way?   Being a Christian doesn’t mean we have to have our serious face on all of the time.  God designed us to be full of joy and laughter too!  And what better way to show that joy than by honoring His request that “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 If you want a great reminder, this week, listen below to one of my favorite songs, “Jesus Laughing” sung by The Peasall Sisters and gaze on the joyful face of our Lord and Savior just laughing out loud.    You won’t be able to NOT smile!  I know He loves it when we stop worrying about things we can’t control, choose to trust and walk with Jesus down our dusty roads, and just enjoy a deep down, good “belly laugh” instead with a good friend or family member.    After all, laughter is the best medicine!“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting.”  Job 8:21