A cheerful heart is good medicine; but a broken spirit drieth up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 ASV
I like to laugh; mostly at my own jokes, but I enjoy jokes from others, funny situations, puns- I’m really not too picky!
I consider myself to be someone who laughs pretty easily and frequently- but still over the years I have realized that I don’t laugh quite as much as I used to. There is that old saying, “We don’t stop laughing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop laughing.”
Unfortunately, I think that tends to be true. I think back to growing up and getting together with friends several times a week- at least- during the summer. We were always cracking ourselves up- and still do when we get together! But life is busy; we have kids and adult responsibilities and the laughter starts to fade…
My little one just turned one last month and as usually happens around this age my son has started to figure out how to walk! He mostly has it mastered now but for several weeks before it really clicked there were lots of little quick steps, followed by him falling, catching himself, and his little rear wiggle up in the air as he tried to stand up again!
I would hold my son, face him towards my husband, and my son would take one tentative step, then another, then a few quick steps. As he took those few quick steps he would realize that he was walking- then he would giggle!
He would laugh at the joy of trying something new. At this point I don’t think he knew entirely what he was doing that created the magical results of walking towards his father, but nonetheless he was delighted!
How little it takes at this age for children to be delighted. For them to laugh and smile, at any of the many things we take for granted.
Our dog rolls on her back, legs up in the air with a toy in her mouth, my son laughs.
One of our cats decides to go racing by for no conceivable reason- my son laughs.
How many little causes for joy and laughter do we overlook in a given day because we are too busy to pause for a moment and notice the little things of life?
How often do we miss glorious little miracles going on in the world around us do we miss because we have our heads down, focused on our to-do list, busily rushing from one thing to the next?
God created laughter. He created joy. I think we get so busy focusing on the God of judgment, the Jesus of power and miracles, that we forget that in human form Jesus was a man, one that people liked to be around! How many people with no sense of humor do you like to be around?
My prayer for us as we start a new week is that we take time to pause, and enjoy the world around us. That we revel in the little miracles unfolding before us everyday. I pray we don’t’ take ourselves, or the crumbling world we live in so seriously that we don’t take time for the simple, little silly things in life that can bring us joy, if we take time to laugh.
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