Filled with Laughter

“When the Lord brought back the captives  to Zion,  we were like men  who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of  joy.”  Psalm 126:1, 2  (NIV)

A reunion— whether of family or of high school  or  college  classmates—is an exciting event. It’s usually a time of shouts of surprise and glee  upon  recognizing  familiar faces  not seen after a long time. And, yes, it’s a time of much laughter. As the Jews  returned to  their  homeland from captivity,  their  happiness  bubbled over, and they couldn’t stop laughing.

We laugh when good things happen to us, but it’s not only good things that make us laugh. Some of  our daily events also generate laughter, especially if you  are a laugher like me.  I find  something amusing in ordinary situations, even mishaps, such as what happened a few months ago when I was on my way back from Maryland. My son, knowing my penchant  for making wrong turns,  guided me  to the exit that would take me South to Tennessee and  gave a hand signal out his car window when it was time for me to turn. I turned, but onto the wrong exit and spent a confusing hour trying to correct my mistake.  My son, with his trusty smartphone,  rescued me. Was this funny? Not at all, but for  some reason,  I laugherd  heartily for days  at the picture of me sailing off down the  wrong exit, and even now I get a chuckle out of remembering.

Laughter is good for us; it relaxes us  and helps to lighten life’s load.  Researchers tell us that a cheerful spirit displayed in laughter drives away depression,  helps us get along with others, and makes us accept others in spite of their flaws. Laughter can keep us healthy physically and is great for mental health. Yes, Solomon had it right:  “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).

Sadly,  some Christians have a negative  view of laughter. Perhaps they see  our Lord’s saying that we will  have to give an account for every idle word ( (Matthew 12:36, 37) as an excuse to be grumpy.  But idle and frivolous words are far diffenent from the joyful laughter  that can flow from  inside us where  the lovely spirit of Jesus dwells.

The Israelites  who had been displaced from their homeland  were coming  back to the  place where they belonged.  Uncontrollable  joy  caused them to burst into laughter and singing.  Like the returning exiles, believers will one day  have something  wonderful  to fill their mouths with laughter.  When Christ’s kingdom is restored, and His children  find themselves  in the place He  has “gone  to prepare” for them,  inexpressible joy will well up in their hearts.  Then their mouths will be filled with laughter and praise to God at the grand awareness that their captivity is over.

Always,

Judith

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Laughter is the clostest thing to 
the grace of God.
Theologian Karl Barth