The Importance of Laughter
I went to a comedy show on Wednesday evening with my sister, Lisa. I’d never been to one before, never been to a comedy club, and never seen a comedian in person. And – I will admit this just between us – I’ve never even seen a comedy special on TV. I know, I know… there are probably many I could or should watch, but I just haven’t (at least not yet).
I was out later, way past my bedtime, but it was worth it because we laughed and laughed and laughed! The comedienne was hilarious, and she covered a lot of topical ground – from differences in language in the UK and the USA to relatively pedestrian things like shampoo. And at the end of the night, as we were driving away, I turned to Lisa and said, “I laughed so much my cheeks are hurting now!” Of course, that just made us laugh even more.
As I finished my drive home late at night, I thought about laughter. I wondered when the last time was that I’d laughed that much or that hard. I wondered when it is that we go from being children who laugh at the silliest things to adults who might go a while without a belly laugh. And I thought that God must delight in us when we are laughing so much that tears are running down our faces.
There is, of course, a lot of research that shows us that laughter is quite good for us. It has legitimate health benefits! Laughter enhances our intake of oxygen, simulates our hearts, lungs, muscles and releases endorphins (the feel-good hormones). It increases and then decreases our heart rate and blood pressure leaving us with a good, relaxed feeling. It can improve our immune systems, relieve pain, improve our moods and more! Clearly, laughter is beneficial for us.
Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there is a time for all the things. I’m sure you can sing the Byrds song with me: “To everything, turn, turn, turn… there is a season, turn, turn, turn… and a time to every purpose under heaven.” But one of those things that both Ecclesiastes and the Byrds’s song remind us that there is there is a time to laugh. There is a time for everything, but I think we often forget about the joy and the laughter as being just as important as other things.
The state of the world sometimes can bring us down. Yes, there are horrible things happening out in the world – we do not have to look too far to find that. But also, there is much beauty and joy and laughter to be found. Laughter will not diminish the hard times, but it might allow us to cope a little better with them (see all those physiological benefits above!).
I suspect God knew that the world would break our hearts which is why God gave us the gifts of joy on the other end of the spectrum. Sometimes it’s harder to find the joy and laughter in the middle of the heartache. But I also know that if we make the choice to seek out joy, we will find it. May we find laughter, and in doing so, also find God.
Blessings,
Emily
