May 29, 2012
A Little Joy – A Lot of Laughter
Lifts the Spirit and Liberates the Soul
…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10(b)
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalms 126:1-6
All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:15
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
Quote of the Day
“The satirist shoots to kill while the humorist brings his prey back alive and eventually releases him again for another chance.” – Peter de Vries
Today’s Thoughts and Insights:
“The love of truth lies at the root of much humor.” – Anonymous
Jesus is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth: and He says when you know the truth the truth will set you free: and if you are free you should be happy: and if you’re happy you should be joyous: and if you’re joyous then laughter should fill your soul and it should emanate from within you to touch and encourage, enlighten and lift up those around you.
If we truly believe that the joy of the Lord is our strength we need to let the world know we are joyous. We need to seek to find the humor and lighter side to the many and yes, often humorous, situations in which we often find ourselves in.
I believe God loves to laugh and I’m sure He finds a lot to laugh at as we His creation carry out the business of our lives on the stage of this world. Often what we deem as dire and disastrous can often be nothing more than a chance to allow God to once again prove His faithfulness and to bring even more hope and joy to our souls.
Have you ever noticed that often some of our greatest calamities and our seemingly most embarrassing moments lend themselves to some of our most comedic reflections once we have moved beyond them?
Sometimes I fear that we Christians take ourselves so seriously that we fail to embrace the magnitude of the joy, liberty and good humor that are such a vital component in our life of faith.
God did not send His son to save us just so we could be in despair and droll: He came to give us life and life more abundantly and for me that means laughing a lot, expressing my joy and being grateful and giving glory to the one who has made this possible.
Today’s Prayer
Father, you give such love, joy and happiness to my life: help me to always be willing to express the depth of my gratitude and the magnitude of my happiness and joy.
“Good humor makes all things tolerable.”
–
Henry Ward Beecher
“This is my cry: This is my song,
You are my guiding light, when the way is unknown;
And when the sunny skies, turn shades of gray,
I’ll stay close by your side: As you lead the way.
Jesus lead on I will follow:
Jesus lead on, let your love light the way… “
- Lyrics from ‘Jesus Lead On’ by Brent Helming
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