Learning to Laugh Again

Last week some of our grand-children came to visit.  They were playing and laughing together.  Tatum, the oldest grand-daughter,  was laughing so hard as she played on the floor with her brother.  It was not a fake laugh or even half of a laugh, it was a deep belly laugh.  As I watched and heard them playing, I thought to myself, "When did I lose my laughter?  When was the last time, I laughed a belly laugh?  When was the last time I laughed so hard tears streamed down my face?

During this One Year to Live, I want to find a way to bring laughter back into my life.  I don't really know when I lost it.  I just know that I don't laugh much any more.  As an adult, there have been circumstances that I call "joy robbers,"  that I have allowed to steal my joy and laughter.  Most of these circumstances were beyond my control:  my mother's Alzheimer's and her death, my dad's declining health and death, the death of friends, the loss of relationships, and life changes in general. 

We are called to be joyful.  Phillipians 4:4 tells us "To rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice."  James 1:3  tells us to "Count it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds."  Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  My challenge and struggle is how to find laughter in the midst of very sad and depressing events around me.  The apostle Paul who suffered many hardships didn't seem to struggle with finding the joy in his life.  Even in his imprisonments, beatings, and struggles,  he was able to rejoice.   I am determined that through prayer that I am going to find ways this year to bring laughter back in my life even through all the trials of daily living.  I don't know how this is going to happen, I don't know what it is going to look like, but I am trusting that God is going to answer this prayer.

I do a girl's road trip every year with teachers that I used to teach with.  I always look forward to that trip because we are silly, and we do laugh.  It's the highlight of the trip, and I always come back so refreshed, but it does not take long to fall back in the rut of the "joy robbers." 

Some things that I have already started doing to bring laughter back is reading funny novels, watching funny movies, and hanging out with my grandchildren and people who will make me laugh.  I also am going to get out of myself and focus on serving others.  Hopefully, with the focus off of me, I can, like Paul, find joy and laughter no matter what I am dealing with.

Joy,


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