LAUGH
Laughter, joy, thanksgiving and praise are some of the most underestimated weapons in our artillery as Christians. We easily interrupt fear, worry, and anxiousness by remembering our blessings and giving thanks to God. We easily transform the atmosphere of our circumstance by laughing out loud.
I remember enjoying lunch with a woman I greatly admire. I was asking her questions about life, marriage, motherhood, ministry and just about anything else I could think of. As our conversation continued I noticed something about her talk that made me pause internally. She laughed… a lot. She turned every topic into the positive and managed to laugh as she shared her stories and experiences with me.
I walked away from that lunch date asking myself,
“when did you get so serious?”
Since then, I have asked God to instil a greater sense of joy in my heart. How awesome to be like the kind of person found in Proverbs 31, who “laughs without fear of the future.”
When life gets too serious, our strength is drained and everything we once loved becomes a laborious effort. Proverbs tells us over and over the value of joy, laughter and thanksgiving to turn atmospheres around and to correct our soul.
Proverbs 15:15
For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.
Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
King David continually ordered his soul to get back into line. This man suffered some of the cruellest assaults and private losses a person could face. Some were the result of his own doing; others were through unfair treatment at the hands of those he loved. Yet the psalms he wrote are a record of this man’s conscious discipline to correct his heart.
Psalm 42: 11 & Psalm 43: 5
Why are you cast down, o my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, o my soul;
And all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 bless the Lord, o my soul,
And forget not all his benefits:
3 who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies,
5 who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
When life gets on top of us it is remembering the goodness of God and giving thanks to him for it that is the surest way back to peace.
Psalm 116:7
7 return to your rest, o my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Remember?!
Do you remember the amazing things he has done for you? Do you remember that all these other things are only temporary and God is always good? When the enemy raises his hand against you, you can rejoice because God is unfailingly faithful to his children. He will come through – he always does!
Come on my friend! When did you get so serious? Lighten up! Let out a laugh and thank God for his goodness. Then laugh again – at yourself for taking yourself so seriously!
Laugh!
There is also a very pointed time to celebrate and party, and it’s usually important to do it in advance as a sign of faith.
In bible times a Jewish household would always have a fattened calf ready in preparation for a celebration. They were ready to party at any moment – I love that kind of faith.
Faith that makes room for God, that makes room for a miracle and is in a constant state of party. Praise and thanksgiving make room for God and He inhabits that room (Ps 22:3).
When you praise God, your environment changes. You might have spent the week camping in the valley, but when you start thanking Jesus in the midst of that atmosphere your view changes. In actual fact, your location changes:
Psalm 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise.
Be thankful to him, and bless his name.
When we praise God we move from the midst of our circumstances to the presence of God himself.
When our confession changes,
our location changes.
We are no longer describing the reality of the situation, but the reality of Jesus. Our souls shift from seeing what the world sees to being able to again see Jesus over and above that situation
Praise magnifies God
and minimizes the problem.
Perhaps you’ve done enough intercession, worship and fasting. Maybe it’s time to take off the mourning garments, shake off the dust and throw a praise party. When was the last time your environment heard the sound of your laughter and a raucous praise given to your God?
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A QUICK NOTE FROM KAROLINA
Hi Friend,
I'll be writing to you monthly from now on.
Please look out for your next letter from me on Wednesday 5th April.
Blessings,
KAROLINA
