"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to laugh." Ecclesiastes 3:1,4a
One of the sweetest sounds in the world to me is the sound of a little kid laughing, that rich, unrestrained, uninhibited belly laugh that signifies pure and complete pleasure in the moment. They are so there with whatever the funny thing is. No worries about work or the world or tomorrow or paying bills; all the things that weigh adults down and siphon the joy out of life. They just have the moment in time when all is right and they revel in it - wallow in it - jump in with both feet and let the moment take them over. I LOVE that sound!
Do you know someone with a laugh like that? I work with someone with a laugh like that. No matter where we are in the office if she laughs I hear it - and I smile. Whatever my mood or my stress level, Patsi's laugh makes me smile, and that makes me feel better instantly. It doesn't change anything about my day, it just injects a little shot of pure joy!
We've all read the articles about the health benefits of laughing, and most of us have experienced them at one time or another. Laughing, a good rolling belly laugh can:
- lower your blood pressure
- give you some of the benefits of a good cardio workout
- lower your stress
- decrease pain
Even the simple physical act of smiling causes chemical reactions in our bodies that have positive results. I don't pretend to understand the physiological principles behind this, but I do know what an amazing thing this is. Yet another example of how we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". God did that on purpose. He not only made laughing fun, he made it GOOD FOR US! That's like making dark chocolate good for us. He did that too, you know!
Sometimes don't you just want to look up to heaven and say, "That's so cool! Thank you!" Go ahead...just do that now...no really, just say a little thank you to God for laughter and dark chocolate! He deserves it!
I have two plaques in my office about laughing and I smile every time I read them. I found them in one of those junk catalogs that sell all the stuff you'll never need...
Here's what they say:
Laugh
until
you
tinkle
in
your
panties
If you're not going
to snort,
why bother
laughing?
One of God's greatest gifts to us is the gift of humor and laughter. I hope as you go through the day today that you will ask God to help you see the humor in things, and that at least once you have a great big rolling belly laugh!
Go ahead it's Friday. Enjoy!
Sherri
No comments:
Post a Comment