Live, Love, and Laugh!
Key Verse to Read and Treasure
And a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4, ESV)
For Insight
Jesus wept. But Jesus also laughed. We might be familiar with God laughing in a derisive way as we read through the Psalms. Each time those in power set themselves up against God, he laughed. God must wonder why mere humans think we are anything for God to contend with. No wonder he laughs at our weakness, our thinking we have power to match his. Sometimes God laughs at us and our antics, and frail attempts to come against or challenge him and no wonder. Imagine us thinking our arms are long enough to box with mighty God!
We can’t weep all the time. There are times where weeping is the natural reaction to events and circumstances. The natural response to tragedy. Times when weeping is the only thing we can do. Sometimes we weep for ourselves and sometimes we weep for others. But our lives should also include laughter. Jesus encouraged joyful laughter as we see recorded in the Beatitudes and Luke 6.
My husband and I laugh a lot. There’s always been a lot of laughter in our home and marriage. Our children grew up in a happy household, full of laughter and levity. Even after decades of marriage we still find things that are funny to us; things that cause us to break out in hearty laughter. Sometimes we “crack-ourselves-up” with the funny things we say about something or to one another. When we lose the ability to laugh together, we have lost the ability to connect in an intimate way.
Have you noticed that laugher and humor are healing to our bodies, minds and emotions? they also have a redemptive power attached to them. Just as weeping and agony are part of God’s plan for the human experience and a necessary part of salvation, so is laughter. Think of how many funny stories we read in the Scriptures? The Bible isn’t all tragedy and tears but includes humor and lightness. Some stories should crack us up, make us break out in holy laughter.
If we do nothing else, set no other goals for ourselves in our days and life, we need to make laughter something we embrace, create, and enjoy.
Check Yourself
Are you laughing enough?
Praying Ecclesiastes 3:4
Jesus there are many things you found funny, hilarious. May we laugh more. Help us to see the humor in our ridiculousness. Bless us, Lord, to laugh more. After we’ve wept help us to laugh (again)! Amen
Digging Deeper
Devotionally Yours 