Laughter, A Gift

You turned my wailing into dancing;

You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy;

That my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

Oh Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 30:11-12 NIV)



I went through a prolonged time of sadness. I almost forgot how to laugh. A friend invited me to fill in for one of her relatives at a three-day Christian event. The relative found out she couldn’t go and had paid for her ticket and her part of the hotel room.

Some of the speakers at this meeting were Christian comedians. I found myself laughing right along with the rest of the audience. On the second night, my friend came to me and said, “It’s good to hear you laugh again.” The strange thing was I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had laughed.

About six weeks later, we were at church and taking part in a Thanksgiving Eve service. Each of us had to state five things we were thankful for. One of mine was the gift of laughter. I told those present that night about the experience of realizing that I had practically forgotten how to laugh.

Nowadays, I look for things that make me laugh. In Proverbs, it says: “Laughter makes a merry heart.”

With the Internet jokes, some of my close friends, and the newspaper comic strips, I find ways to make my heart sing when I laugh.

I still give God thanks for the gift of laughter these fourteen years later. Have you had your laugh today?