Laughter is Medicine

At the end of 2016, I asked the Lord for my word for 2017. Every year I do this: I ask God for a word that will help define the year to come, a word that will shape my goals and resolutions, a sort of prophetic declaration on which to set my sights. For those that have been following my blog, you will know that my word for 2017 has been “joy.”

I was honestly a little annoyed when that was the word that kept coming to mind. How generic I thought to myself. I’m already a very joyful person. (Maybe my word should have been humility; ha!) But God went on to show me that this word represented much more than just a state of mind, but a guiding principle for my choices and lifestyle. I was to choose to do things that bring me joy. Not in a self-serving kind of way, but in an aligning-with-the-heart-of-God kind of way.

This past Friday I had the grand opportunity of seeing comedian John Crist perform live at Southern Wesleyan University. I laughed so hard that my throat hurt by the end of the evening. I honestly don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard and that much! Some of the things that John said at the end of his performance and afterwards in the green room really struck me. He said that for him, performing comedy is like therapy. He gets to confess his own insecurities and the insecurities of those in the audience, and everyone gets to laugh at them because they can relate. He pointed out that people get so uptight about wanting to be right or wanting to look cleaned up and perfect that they are afraid to laugh at themselves. John seeks to break that down. It’s often the people that have been through the deepest pain that can experience the greatest joy. A lot of the stuff that John made jokes about are things that I have personally walked through and can relate to and can laugh at.

It was not long after that I made the connection between joy and laughter. It seems juvenile, but I have always been hard-pressed to find specific bible verses on laughter that aren’t referencing mocking or sarcasm. But I realize that whenever scripture mentions “joy” or the act of rejoicing, God is calling us to laugh. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at your circumstances. Laugh in the face of the devil (he really hates that!). And, as my verse of the year says, “do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

And on that note, I hope I can make comedy shows a regular part of my health routine. Lol. But seriously.

Photo Credit: Ed Welch