The Gift of Laughter

Papa with Abbi enjoying a laugh

There is nothing I enjoy more than hearing my husband laugh.........unless it is when we have a good laugh together.  Nehemiah 8:10 is a verse that fits well for Joel.  "The joy of the Lord is my strength".  Along with that is the verse in Proverbs 17....."A joyful heart is good medicine."

Many years ago now, I read a book by Henry Nouwen in which he shared how he was healed from a sickness that had kept him hospitalized.  While laying in bed he watched hours of one of his favorite TV shows, "The Three Stooges".  He was in terrible pain, but he would watch.........and laugh......and eventually the pain subsided, the sickness left, and he was healed.  He believed laughter truly was good medicine for his body and soul.

The Bible tells us to rejoice.  We are created to do so, to enjoy life!  I knew  a woman from one of our congregations who lived with terrible arthritis pain. It would take over an hour for her to just get dressed in the mornings.  But that special lady always had a smile on her face.  You could hear her laughing with joy as she celebrated life, one day and even at times one hour at a time.

There are days and even seasons when Joel and I intentionally turn on a show that will make us laugh.  Netflix has quite a few old shows and Frasier is one that will get us chuckling.  During the long days of winter this year we often tuned in before bed, seeking a good belly laugh.  Another one that does it for us is M.A.S.H.  Laughter is good medicine.

Jan and Renee having a good laugh

If you sit back and imagine your child or grandchild giggling with sheer joy, it can't help but bring a smile to your face, can it?!  I expect God feels the same way when we, His children, giggle and laugh in sheer joy for life.  We were created to rejoice.

Unfortunately we don't often hear much laughter during worship.  Last week though, Joel filled in at two Lutheran churches in far Northest Iowa.  Joel and Lance, the pastor there,  have a friendly rivalry going.  Lance is in the Army with the guard and Joel spent 8 years in the Air Force so they often kid each other about which is better.  When Joel went to services this past Sunday Lance had actually put a picture on the Worship screen of a dirty, old, toothless man in a beat up Fedora and put beneath it the caption,  "Pastor Joel Dahlen"! The people cracked up and so did Joel.  After church one woman said to Joel, "Lance taught us how to laugh in church."  What a great gift to give someone.  The gift of laughter.  Joel loves to have "Holy Hilarity" Sunday every year where people share stories and appropriate jokes to "laugh at the devil".  Several churches participate in this yearly event.  Joel has also been known to skip out of church and even ride his recumbent bike down the aisle.  I am sure God just shakes His head, chuckles, and says, "Yes, that's my boy!"

Our friend, Linda, often puts something funny on Facebook that will make Joel and I both laugh out loud.  She knows how important it is to have joy while walking through this life.

How do you bring joy and laughter into your life?  What makes you smile?  As we open our hearts to all that God has in store for us, including joy, let's remember that laughter is good medicine.  We all can use a little of that!