My sweet friends, I Love to laugh…..Ha Ha Ha Ha!… and that reminds me of the Mary Poppins movie where Mary’s Uncle Albert laughs and floats up to the ceiling!
The premise being that laughter (and happiness) lightens one’s mood or burden.
It is of course a metaphor, and when one is thinking of something sad, it can literally bring one back down to earth, so to speak.
You have heard all the cliches’…
“Laugh and the world laughs with you”
“Laughter is the best medicine”
Well, it may not be that laughter will cure what ails you, but researchers have found that laughter can have an effect on almost every organ in your body.
Laughter reduces tension.
It relaxes the tissues.
Laughter stirs up the blood!
It expands the chest, electrifies the nerves and clears the brain.
The Bible tells us of laughter.
Psalm 126:2
“We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.”
This was in reference to the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem.
This Psalm likely was composed after the exile, in wondrous gratitude for God’s restoration, and in prayer for a furtherance of that work.
The people were happy.
They laughed for joy.
Laughter is strong medicine. … Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.
During my illness, I did not laugh out loud as it hurt to make any kind of bodily movement, but I did smile.
I remember smiling at my sweet caretaker when she insisted I would really like orange juice on my Cheerios rather than milk.
I smile now (and laugh out loud), as I think about her telling me of her like for orange juice on her Cheerios…. and how it came about one day that she was out of milk and used the juice and liked it a lot.
Laughter, I love to smile and to laugh.
Genesis 21: And Sarah said, God hath made me laugh… JST rejoice. Genesis 21:6.
In Genesis 21:6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”
She was of course referring to the fact that she was finally going to have a baby, a son.
You see she desperately wanted a child and she and Abraham had been praying fervently for a baby for 25 years.
And God had promised her a son.
The seriousness of God’s promise compelled Sarah to chuckle.
She laughed not because she believed that God is unable to fulfill His promise, but because of her condition.
The reality, Sarah was 90 years old and her husband Abraham was 100 years old.
Sarah believed in God’s promise, but her surrounding circumstances made her laugh.
They named their son Issac….the name means Laughter!
As for me, I don’t know that I would laugh at having a baby at 90, but Sarah laughed. 🙂
Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh.
Many times, I laugh at myself.
It breaks down barriers and makes us more approachable.
In today’s world, we need more laughter.
I believe laughter is like a magnet and projects a warm and friendly personality, rather than rigid and stuffy.
I have found if I make a joke with a sales person on the phone, or I laugh at myself with the doctor’s office staff, things seem brighter.
Humor works best when it brings joy to others.
I like to Text funny and happy messages to friends and family.
I have the Bitmoji app on my I-phone and I have given my avatar short red hair, green eyes and seasonal clothing.
You can choose eye brow shape, nose shape, lips etc to get your avatar to look more like you.
Below are just a few of the pics, of course this gal/girl below has silver hair.
And freckles.
When I want to send a text to family and friends, I send an image of my avatar…she is either eating, sleeping or playing sports.
Or just hiding behind a giant cup of coffee with the “Good Morning” message….like the avatar above, bottom left.
Below are a few more avatars with various clothing, hair coloring etc.
Each night, I send a ‘good night avatar’ to my daughter and grand daughter and when they respond with ‘good night, love you’, I send them 3 hearts.
Of course there is a time to be serious and a time to laugh.
We must Learn to tell the difference.
But If you doubt that God has a sense of humor, just look in the mirror. LOL
I’m laughing again.
Since we have had our second shots, we are going to go to church tomorrow.
Wearing masks of course and taking all the precautions.
Yay! I miss my church family.
Blessings Always
Kari 🙂
Kari, this theme and many of the devotions are spot on for me today (a little late in reading, but hey, God’s timing, right??). Laughter is also some people’s mechanism for dealing with social anxiety. But it serves similarly! I use an avatar in Bitmoji also. Since I’ve let me hair grow a little I don’t look as much like mine as I used to, but I have one sister whose avatar is a spitting image of her. Her texts literally crack me up!
Happy you have your 2nd doses, and can get back to your church family! Yay! Another milestone!
Laughter does indeed make everything better! One of my BFFs makes super cute emojis of herself that she texts me sometimes and they always crack me up!! Have a day full of smiles and giggles Kari!
Jenna
Thanks Kari, for reminding me how important laughter is. I agree it is good medicine.
So glad you got to go to your church. We have gone the last three Sundays’s and it has been so nice.
I must try orange juice and cereal. That will make me smile.
I am smiling thinking of you feeling well and enjoying all the daily things. PTL you are healed.
Kari, I laugh all the time. Listening to my husband talk to his son and a friend in a group makes me laugh all the time. My husband is legally blind, but he still has a lot of zest for life. These three men talking together and bad mouthing one another is so funny I laugh and shake my head at them. They are here tonight playing their guitars and munching on chips and dip.
Kari, I’m glad to see you laughing. We are going to go to church this coming Sunday for the first time in over a year.
Love you,
Sandys
Kari, may you have many reasons to laugh and be happy in the months ahead. Many blessings and plenty of humor to come your way.
Laughter is really good for us. It does relieve stress for me. I loved this post and the scriptures you shared. Wishing you a lovely week my friend! I am going to laugh more this week 😂
Many times I find that if I laugh more, my mood changes immediately….Praise God for all His gifts and blessings. thanks for stopping by my sweet friend.
Laughing is the best medicine Kari! Loved this post Kari! I’m happy to laugh right along with you. Have a lovely Sunday dear Kari.
We have to laugh don’t we Nancy? Thanks my friend for stopping by.
Hugs Always
Kari