Sunday, May 29, 2005
Why We Laugh
Have you ever thought about why we laugh? It’s something that just comes over us like a chill. Like sadness and crying come over us at a funeral or when a loved one is sent to Iraq. (We are thankful on this Memorial Day Weekend for all of those who have given of their lives.)
But maybe laughing is different. Laughing comes from a different place. It comes from the side of us made in God’s image, uncorrupted by the Fall of Mankind. Meister Eckhart is supposed to have said that we were created out of the laughter of the Trinity.
The Bible says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
This will be strange, because I think there’s good crying, the kind of crying that cleanses the soul, the kind that eventually turns into a smile. All of us remember those times when we cried, only to have someone come along and cheer us up.
With their coaxing our smile bloomed in increments, growing in width with each small cajole they offered, until we laughed. And in that moment, it felt so good to smile and laugh. It was like a healing or a new beginning.
Maybe this will be the feeling of heaven. Death is our breaking open like a rose in heaven’s rejoicing. Will we just appear there like some space traveler? Like a character in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
The Bible talks about the angels rejoicing whenever a sinner repents. Must be a lot of rejoicing up there. This is strange when the Bible says Jesus was a man of sorrows. I wonder how different that was for Him? He’d never known sorrow or crying. He didn’t know what it meant to weep over the death of a friend.
Our experience in heaven will be like Jesus’ existence on earth. We’ve known His sorrow here. But we've never known the joy of Heaven.
I confess, I don’t think about laughing enough. I think about suffering much of the time. I need to work at laughing more, instead of trying to be perfect. The Bible says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength” (Proverbs 17:22). Now we know why we are tired all the time. We don’t laugh enough.
Laughing is heaven's medicine for our weary soul. So I’m going to try to laugh more. I’m going to stop putting so much emphasis on being perfect.
I did this at the Starbucks in Franklin, TN this week. I came out of the bathroom and stood at the counter to order when I heard that little voice inside my head saying, “You better make sure you zipped up.” I had not.
Two women at a table were laughing at me. I just knew it. But I could not walk away during the transaction, so I just zipped up on the spot in front of them, knowing I could make it either a funny moment or an embarrassing one. I chose to laugh. And it felt like medicine, but it could’ve been the Starbucks cappuccino.
www.stofel.com
But maybe laughing is different. Laughing comes from a different place. It comes from the side of us made in God’s image, uncorrupted by the Fall of Mankind. Meister Eckhart is supposed to have said that we were created out of the laughter of the Trinity.
The Bible says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
This will be strange, because I think there’s good crying, the kind of crying that cleanses the soul, the kind that eventually turns into a smile. All of us remember those times when we cried, only to have someone come along and cheer us up.
With their coaxing our smile bloomed in increments, growing in width with each small cajole they offered, until we laughed. And in that moment, it felt so good to smile and laugh. It was like a healing or a new beginning.
Maybe this will be the feeling of heaven. Death is our breaking open like a rose in heaven’s rejoicing. Will we just appear there like some space traveler? Like a character in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
The Bible talks about the angels rejoicing whenever a sinner repents. Must be a lot of rejoicing up there. This is strange when the Bible says Jesus was a man of sorrows. I wonder how different that was for Him? He’d never known sorrow or crying. He didn’t know what it meant to weep over the death of a friend.
Our experience in heaven will be like Jesus’ existence on earth. We’ve known His sorrow here. But we've never known the joy of Heaven.
I confess, I don’t think about laughing enough. I think about suffering much of the time. I need to work at laughing more, instead of trying to be perfect. The Bible says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength” (Proverbs 17:22). Now we know why we are tired all the time. We don’t laugh enough.
Laughing is heaven's medicine for our weary soul. So I’m going to try to laugh more. I’m going to stop putting so much emphasis on being perfect.
I did this at the Starbucks in Franklin, TN this week. I came out of the bathroom and stood at the counter to order when I heard that little voice inside my head saying, “You better make sure you zipped up.” I had not.
Two women at a table were laughing at me. I just knew it. But I could not walk away during the transaction, so I just zipped up on the spot in front of them, knowing I could make it either a funny moment or an embarrassing one. I chose to laugh. And it felt like medicine, but it could’ve been the Starbucks cappuccino.
www.stofel.com
© 2007 by Robert Stofel
1 Comments:
I understand completely what you mean about the tears, uncontrolable tears! Then God sends one of his chosen ones to make us smile! I am going to laugh more also! I have clumsy actions and falls and I am going to laugh and be thankful that it was not worse! Laughing is great for the soul! Great writing!
Lisa
Lisa
