The Medicine of Laughter

Have you ever thought about how important humor is to your life? We all like humor, but too many of us never really make it a priority in our lives. You say, “Make humor, laughter a priority?!” You know how you feel. Life is serious. There are too many serious things happening in our world. It would even be inappropriate to laugh. There are certainly times to be sober and serious. The happenings of the past few days remind us that the world is definitely full of people filled with pain causing them to do horrific things. As you watched the videos of the young man who took 32 lives at Virginia Tech did you see the pain in his eyes? There had probably been no laughter for longer than he could remember. All those who had had any close contact with him noted how quiet he was.

Remember the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. Sarah laughed when the messenger from God told Abraham that they were going to have a son when he was 100 and Sarah was 90. She laughed and then denied that she laughed as if there was something wrong with that. I mean, that’s certainly a laughable thought to me! I am not 100 and Debbie is not 90, but I would laugh if the doctor looked at us and told us she was pregnant (and then CRY!). But when Isaac was born she said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." Genesis 21:6 (NIV)

Sometimes laughter is a cover for pain. The Proverbs says, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.” Proverbs 14:13 (NIV) But on the other hand laughter is a great tool to get us through pain. When I conduct a funeral service I always try to find something in the life of deceased to make us laugh. Some people find that disrespectful, but most find it relieving to be able to laugh in the midst of grief.

Not long after the iron curtain had come down I was ministering in the former Soviet Union in Siberia. It was a city not even on most maps at that time because it had been a secret military installation and a city for Communist Officials to go for R & R. There were 300,000 people in the city. The one thing we noticed in most of the people whether in Moscow or in Siberia (they are a six hour flight apart) was that they did not smile, they were not happy even in their new found freedom. Even the church people were somber. One pastor listened to us crazy Americans as we laughed and enjoyed ourselves. He watched as we played games in the square with the youth and 3000 people would show up to watch and eventually laugh with us. Then we’d share testimonies and preach the Gospel to them and thousands of them would come to know Christ. That pastor said in frustration and even anger, “You laugh too much. You are too happy. Holy people don’t laugh, they are serious.” I am not criticizing him at all because this man had been through much pain. He’d been in prison for his faith. The joy had been taken from him. The day we left he finally smiled at us. Maybe we rubbed off on him just a little.

The police showed up at the “hotel” where we were staying to give us personal escorts downtown for our meetings because they were drawn to the laughter. One evening late we were sitting in the restaurant (we were the only ones there as was most often the case) and we were laughing at the end of a long day of ministry and travel around the area. We noticed all the staff standing over to the side watching us, and immediately we felt bad because we’d forgotten the time and we were keeping them there waiting on us to finish. So, I went over with an interpreter to apologize. When I did they reacted immediately with, “Oh, no we are not upset. We were just watching you laugh.”

On the other hand I was in a meeting last week with two gentlemen from Viet Nam who had both been jailed for their faith more times than they could count. They made jokes about it. The smiles on their faces were so big they covered their faces. They told funny stories about being arrested, thrown in prison for leading people to Jesus, and then thrown out of prison because they were leading people to Jesus in prison. Laughter, it’s a wonderful thing!

The Bible agrees, “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.” Proverbs 17:22 (MSG)

Remember the “Reader’s Digest”? We got it all the time when I was a kid and even in adulthood. Still today when I pick one up in a waiting or room or wherever I will go first to “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” Remember that? Then to “All in a Day’s Work” and “Life in the United States”. It is good to laugh.

Certainly one of the best ways to ruin your life would be to take everything too seriously, especially yourself. Have you ever noticed how really successful people are able to laugh at themselves? I don't think I've ever met anyone worthy of modeling my life after who didn't make humor an integral part of their life.

Humor and laughter will make every part of your life better. It will help you through difficult times and it will help you make the good times even better. It will attract good people and good situations to you. You'll become a magnet for positive experiences. And it's well documented that daily laughter will make you healthier. We shouldn’t be surprised because the Bible had already established that.

Have you ever noticed how some people wouldn't be happy if they weren't miserable? There may actually be something humorous about that. Laugh a lot today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me not to miss the fun, the laughter, the humor in life. Your Word reminds me that “the joy of the Lord is my strength” not the soberness and seriousness of life. May my countenance and my demeanor reflect that joy to others. Make me a magnet to draw people to the joy that just comes out of me, and then to You that brings the joy to my life. AMEN.

Blessings!
Pastor Roger