Blessed are you who laugh now, because you can bring joy to others. But blessed are you only if you laugh at yourselves, if you don’t take yourselves too seriously, if human living doesn’t revolve around you and your needs. Only if you can take delight in all of the Father’s creation – in sun and surf, in snow and star, in blue marlin and in robin redbreast, in Cezanne, Olivia Newton-John and veal scaloppini, in the love of a man or woman, and in the presence of the living God within you. Only if your laughter means that you have let go in reckless confidence all that shackles you to yesterday, imprisons you in your own small self today and frightens you with the uncertainty of tomorrow.
Above is mostly Brennan Manning with a little editing by me… Laughter, though - intoxicating, stress reducing - laughing lightens our spirit, bonds us with those we laugh with, allows us to see another side to a situation. It must be pretty important - how often do we describe someone we care about with “he makes me laugh!”. From giggling to a good belly laugh - powerful stuff!
I think the key words above are “if you can take delight in…” When we are filled with delight the worries that can seem so important fade away - Hope is intensified and all things seem possible. C.S. Lewis wrote “Joy is the serious business of heaven”. I believe laughter - taking delight in - it is the path to joy. We were made to laugh and to laugh together.
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