15 May LAUGHTER IS A GIFT FROM GOD
What do you call a fake noodle?
An impasta.
This was the first conversation I had Wednesday morning with my son. Even without a morning coffee he got a smirk out of me. I typically have a no smiling policy in the morning.
We laugh a lot in our house. Not so much in the morning and not always at bad jokes but there is a decent amount of fun that happens in our quarantined home. Bad jokes and the absurd have been keeping the Toombs’ house semi-sane during this pandemic.
There’s nothing like a really good laugh. A joy-filled, tear inducing, can’t breathe, side splitting moment. Google “laughter is good medicine” and you’ll find a ton of blogs and articles that speak to this point. We all know it’s true. It’s healthy. It’s necessary. It’s a gift from God. There is a time to grieve and a time to mourn, but by God’s grace, there is most certainly a time for fun and laughter.
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’” – Psalm 126:2
I miss the wonderful people that are a part of the worship/tech ministry. Being separated during this pandemic is painful. It’s a joy to serve this church together. The team works hard at service preparation and we take leading people each Sunday in worship very seriously. We love our Saviour and we love our church. We also love to have fun together. We say and do a lot of goofy stuff. There have been so many stories and moments over the years that it’s almost impossible to remember them all.
I remember one time I changed my guitar battery during the morning rehearsal. Instead of throwing it out, I put it in my pocket. The service started. The band began to play as we led the congregation in worship. With each song, I begin to get warmer and warmer. I remember thinking, “Man it’s warm in here! Do I have a fever? What is going on?!” The battery in my pocket had connected with a quarter, and had gotten very hot. It was about to do some serious damage. It would have been a memorable service but I’m thankful the battery didn’t explode. Thank you Jesus!
Job 8:21 says, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”
Our worship/tech teams spend a lot of time together preparing for Sunday mornings. We share, we encourage, we pray, and we laugh. I often think about Jesus and the disciples laughing in much the same way. I wonder if our Saviour had a quick wit and fabulous comedic timing. Peter and John probably provided a lot of things for all of them to grin and chuckle at.
I am thankful to the Lord for all that He is, all that He has done, and all that He will do. Being with Jesus produces joy, peace, kindness, gentleness and goodness, and hiding amongst this spiritual fruit is laughter. Let’s be more aware of this good medicine. Let’s spend more time working on this gift. As we gather around our tables with our families, with our friends, let’s be quick to smile and enjoy all that our Saviour has given to us.
