It’s been said that “Laughter is like changing a baby’s diaper—it doesn’t permanently solve any problems, but it sure does make things more acceptable for a while.”
When was the last time you had a good laugh? (Maybe it was when your hubby and your granddaughter ate seriously blue birthday cake frosting!)
We haven’t had a lot to chuckle about during the past several months. (There’s really nothing funny about four surgeries, a knee infection, six weeks of IV antibiotics, Lyme disease, a broken wrist, a nerve injury, cardiac issues, and never-ending rehab.) But every time we do laugh, it reminds us we’re still alive and that feels really good. In fact I believe that we all need to keep—or—get a sense of humor even in the shadow of life trials.
Laughter is good for the body. Science is just figuring that out, but the Bible told us that a long time ago.
Proverbs 15:30 says:
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news makes for good health.”
Proverbs 17:22 reiterates the point:
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
For some people, the ability to laugh comes easily, but for others—especially those going through health issues or emotional struggles—it takes a more effort. If your funny bone could use some strengthening today, here are some suggestions from Endurance with Jan & Dave Dravecky and from me:
- Start your own comedy collection of jokes and cartoons. (Do an Internet search for “clean jokes” or read the newspaper and you’ll find some funny cartoons. Post them at your desk or on your fridge so you can remind yourself to laugh.)
- Get your groceries and a chuckle by reading some of the tabloid headlines while standing in line. (Pick a long line so you’ll have time to read about things like aliens with anorexia and manure as a miracle cure for arthritis! Of course these papers are a business expense for me as I use the stories in my “laughter” talk 🙂 )
- Hang out at greeting card racks and enjoy reading funny cards. (You’ll get a kick out of them yourself and you also can buy one and send it to someone who hasn’t had anything to laugh about for a while.)
- Become a humorous people “groupie” by hanging out with funny people. (Either you’re a funny friend or you need one!)
- Make the most of embarrassing moments. (Share your foibles with a trusted friend and have a good laugh together about the time your wig blew off your bald-from-chemo head or you accidentally dropped a pair of your underwear in the Christian bookstore…don’t even ask!)
- Listen to Christian comedians on YouTube. (I highly recommend John Crist and Tim Hawkins, both of whom have a delightfully irreverent sense of humor and help us poke fun at ourselves.)
Laughter is healing medicine, so please take a full prescription of it!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This little girl in the music video below (be sure to view in your browser) really feels the words of this song: “There ain’t nothin’ gonna steal my joy!”
