WATCHWORD:
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting. Job 8:21
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4
Meditation:
What’s So Funny?
Seeing the humor in life is one of God’s great and, possibly misunderstood, graces. What makes you laugh? Several days ago, I posted a funny story as part of a meditation in a Watchword. Remember?
“It was 45 minutes to my cousin’s wedding reception in Nashville, Tennessee, and my mom was driving. I had my cousin’s vanilla-frosted, two-tier wedding cake on my lap. My mom made a sharp left turn, and the box went flying. The cake was smashed against the dashboard. Frosting was smeared all over the inside of the rental car. I glared at my mom, ready to let her have it. Then burst out laughing. Not just a few giggles. More like gut-busting laughter. Pretty soon, my mom was laughing too. Tears streamed down our cheeks; we couldn’t have stopped if we tried. We made it to the reception and even managed to make the cake look somewhat presentable. Weeks later, though, I was still scratching my head over the incident. Why on earth had I laughed? The moment had been freeing, cathartic. Almost spiritual. As if the laughter was coming from deep within my soul.”
Has that ever happened to you? Laughter that seems to be coming from, yes, deep within your soul. So rich and innocent, not at the expense of another, but seeing the quirks of life and the true, God-blessed humor in what lays before you. Such times of joy are gifts from the Lord. Jesus and laughter go together.
I am reminded of something I heard recently, “Those who dance are considered insane by those who don’t hear the music.” Isn’t that a true statement? Sometimes our laughter comes because we know the “inside story”, see the irony and in some strange way, we are laughing with Jesus.
I suspect we have all attended memorial services for a loved one. I vividly recall “Happy Hour” Memorial gathering where stories of the departed one were shared with loving laughter. Can you recall even one such gathering where there was no laughter? I would guess not.
We should thank the good Lord for the completeness of this reality we call our lives, for including a sense of humor that gets us through some of the rough patches. It is one of the many items we have on our list of blessings at this Thanksgiving time. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
This may be a good time to share your favorite jokes with loved ones. Truly, laughter is the best medicine.
You know this is one of my favorites:
A priest, a pastor and a rabbit walk into a bar. The rabbit says, “I’m a typo!”
Or :
Dear Lord, as your humble servant, let me prove to you that winning the lottery won’t change me.
(sorry)
Closing Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, how we love you; how you love us. A new day unfolds, and we desire that it is infused with our worship of you. As we turn our eyes on the beauty of you, so our spirits lift and find peace. Please pour out your spirit upon us today, so we can worship in fresh ways. We humbly ask for a deeper relationship with you, so we can have a heightened awareness of God’s presence in us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
