Laugh Out Loud 

  ‘He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast’ Proverbs 15:15

A source of great strength to me is laughter. Being able to laugh has got me through many difficult situations and often the tension of a tricky situation has melted away with the ability to laugh at myself or share a good belly laugh with a friend!

We’re not in a particularly funny time at the moment and it doesn’t take much to get dragged down by the gravity of the situation we are in. But a Google search on laughter reminded me of the many benefits it brings - it strengthens our immune systems, diminishes pain, inspires hope, protects us from the damaging effects of stress and the list goes on!

We always start our staff team Zooms with a bit of a chat and a laugh about something or other and this has played a part in getting us through a difficult year. As I’ve begun to realise how important laughter is, I wondered what the God who created us had to say about it.

I’ve found that the Bible is full of scriptures that mention the benefits of laughter and the joy that it brings. It says the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and I’ve read and heard this verse many times. I’ve often thought of joy as a happy feeling with a beaming smile, but joy is also laughter. Right now I think we could all use a huge laugh out loud belly laugh to give us the strength we need!

The bible says laughter is a medicine (Proverbs 17:22), that a happy heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15), and it promises that even though we may weep now, we will laugh again one day (Luke 6:21).

Our laughter is an important part of the way God created us, a gift, a clever design to bring healing and wholeness, something that babies and children freely and regularly participate in and we mustn’t forget to laugh!

What will make you laugh today?  

Let’s pray: Father God, thank you that you gave us the gift of laughter, help us to find the joy that gives us strength and thank you for your promise that even when we are sad and bought low that we will laugh again. Amen