God Created Laughter

It Is Good to Be Thankful: Appreciation makes the world a better place…

To me, one of the most joyous sounds in the whole world is laughter. Those who know me well know I love to laugh. I guess when people first meet me, I don’t emit that kind of vibe. Years ago I took a little speaking workshop and in my evaluation, the teacher told me that when I speak to new groups, I should let everyone know to feel free to laugh if something I say strikes them as funny. This advice has served me well through the years.

The health benefits of laughter are many. Studies show that laughter can boost the immune system, provide higher pain tolerance, increase respiratory capacity, reduce heart attack risk, help control diabetic blood sugar levels, relax muscles, decrease stress hormones, and curb allergy symptoms. Some findings even show that laughter can have some of the same positive effects as exercise. Although, that rumor may have been started by someone who hates to exercise.

The world eventually found out that what God told us years ago is true: “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” (Proverbs 17:21)

Our family has many funny stories we like to recall and laugh about when we get together. Many know that my husband, whom I affectionately nicknamed Zorro, has been a big source of laughter. So much so that I even wrote a book about him. However, other family members have given us a few chuckles as well.  

When our son Matthew was doing a grade school project on Chicago, we discovered too late that his poster said “Chigogo” instead of Chicago. That was one very funny project.   

When our daughter Sherisa was little she did not want to be considered “little,” so when we told her she was a “little mess” she replied indignantly, “I am not a little mess! I’m a big mess!”

Once we were leaving the library when my daughter Shelly was small. For some unexplainable reason, as we approached the door she turned around and in a loud voice said, “You all come see us sometime.”

When we get together for holidays we sometimes drink mimosas. I always had what I call a “poor man’s” mimosa which means I don’t want the champagne but a little seltzer water with the orange juice instead. When our granddaughter was about six she volunteered to get me a refill. She went into the kitchen and announced, “Grandma will have another homeless mimosa.”  

The list could go on and on.

We are made in God’s image, so God must laugh. I’m so thankful God created laughter and gave it His stamp of approval for “indeed, it is very good!” (Genesis 1:31)

*****

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord...” ~ Psalms 92:1 (KJV)

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.