Free To Laugh

While sitting in the local coffee shop with my hands wrapped around a warm mug I listened to my friend share about the struggles she was having. She spoke about the emotional prison that caused her to feel separated from her family and loved ones. As I listened to her talk my mind was drawn back to a time in my life I had experienced similar struggles.

I was eighteen years old and I felt I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. My depression was smothering me and even though I was on a vacation with my family I felt locked away and unable to engage with anyone. One day we came upon a local fair. My father bought me a ticket for the Ferris Wheel. As the wheel went round and round something happened, I began to laugh. It was such a relief, a relief I had not felt in a very long time. I noticed my Father giving the man who operated the Ferris Wheel another dollar every time I went around. I laughed until the tears flowed from my eyes. That was the day I began to heal.

The Bible says, “A cheerful heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit makes one sick.” Proverb 12:22 I think laughter is a gift God gave us that does some amazing things. I have heard that laughter boosts the immune system. I read that for every minute of laughter, you produce somewhere around $10,000 worth of healthy body chemistry. These chemicals have positive healing effects on both your body and mind.

An article on aging healthy, happy and youthful said that the average four year old laughed 300 times a day while an 40 year old would only average four times. I don't know if their numbers are right but I do know the gift of laughter seems lost for many adults. I think there is something about the humility of a child that frees them to laugh. Jesus invites us to enter the Kingdom as little children. In 1 Peter 5 it s says that we are to humble ourselves before the Lord. Then he tells us how, by casting all of our cares on Him because He cares for us.

Lord Jesus, You have set me free in so many ways. Help me cast my cares on you and rest in your love with child like trust. Help me to lift my face to you and know the joy of a cheerful heart. I have heard the saying laugh and the world laughs with you. Let my life be a life that draws people into to joy of belonging to You.