I LOVE to laugh. It is one of my favorite things to do and one of my favorite sounds to hear. And I LOVE how just like God gave us all unique voices and physical attributes and personalities, He also gave us such unique laughs! No one has or ever will have my laugh, and the same goes for you! But, I also believe that just like every other gift God gives, He desires for us to use our gifts to glorify Him, especially our laughter.
Being an 18 year old girl who just graduated high school and is about to embark on the huge college adventure, I think the love of laughter is definitely something God has been instilling in me over the past year. For me, being at a place in my life of big transition like this, I believe that my laughter can be yet another form of worship, and I’ve realized that life is so much better when I can learn to laugh at the little things! In fact, I think “living in the moment” and “laughing at the little things” go pretty hand-in-hand. :) And believe me- God gives me SO many opportunities to LAUGH!
…Sometimes (ok a LOT of times haha) I laugh at myself. Like when I am literally standing inches away and still somehow manage to land my gum on the floor instead of in the trash can… sadly, that has happened more than once. So embarrassing, I KNOW, but also totally hilarious!
…And sometimes I laugh at the things others around me do. Like when once in the middle of the night my little sister sat straight up in her bed and started reaching for objects on my dresser in her sleep! That was QUITE a sight and I was giggling pretty hard to myself as I watched and wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about!
But anyway, I think laughter is SUCH a gift! And being in the middle of a somewhat nerve-racking season where so many choices are being made and changes are taking place in my life, I think that laughter is definitely “the best medicine”. :) It’s a tool I can use to glorify my Savior, in the little and big things alike! Which brings me to one of my favorite verses for this season I’m in right now:
“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25 NLT
…she laughs without fear of the future. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the sound of that! I want to be known as the kind of person who can stop and laugh without being afraid of where I’m going or what’s to come. The kind of person who laughs without fear of the future like the Proverbs 31 woman does.
I’m really into the Blue Letter Bible App (highly recommend it if you don’t already use it to dive deeper in your Word), so when God reminded me of this “she laughs” verse, I immediately looked up the Hebrew root for the phrase on my app.
Sachaq- the word for “she laughs”- means to laugh, play (as in instrumental music, singing, dancing), or mock. And if we break that down further, it can mean to make sport of something. To tease.
When I first read that definition, I felt like that made laughter sound pretty harsh honestly. It didn’t sound like the kind of laughter I wanted to be known for, this idea of laughter that mocks others and makes sport of their issues. But as I thought about it, I was immediately reminded of Sarah in the Bible, who laughed at God when He told her she would bear a child-
Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Genesis 18:10-14 NIV
The difference between Sarah and the Proverbs 31 woman is what they were laughing AT. Yes, they were both laughing in mockery, but Sarah mocked God’s Promise, while the Proverbs 31 woman mocked the future. Sarah laughed at the God who had been faithful to carry her so far and was about to give her the desires of her heart, while the Proverbs 31 woman laughed at the cares of this world that tried and failed to rip her from God’s hand. That’s a BIG DIFFERENCE. You can laugh at the cares of this world all you want- your fears, your insecurities, your weaknesses, your failures- but you better not ever mock the One who meets your every need, the One who holds you in the palm of His hands, the One who is faithful to fulfill all of His promises to you. Because Is anything too hard for the Lord?
So LOVE to laugh! Love to shove your Savior in the face of your fears! Love to laugh without fear of the future (NLT)… laugh at the days to come (NIV)… smile at the future (NASB)… and rejoice in time and season (KJB)! And take pride in your laughter- even if it is, as in my case many times, laughing at your own stupidity!- because the enemy hates your joy! He hates when you have enough real love and joy and peace to just sit back and LAUGH at the cares of this world. He hates when you laugh because you realize you’ve been wearing your shirt inside out all day. He hates when you laugh because your dad ordered a “tai chi” instead of chai tea latte at Starbucks. He hates when you laugh because no matter how often you watch it, that one scene from that one movie makes you DIE every time! So laugh it up! Laugh in the enemy’s face! Glorify the Lord with your laughter- your very unique laughter- your own instrument of praise to your Savior! Because after all, as the Hebrew root points out, laughter isn’t solely a from of mockery, but more importantly an instrument of PRAISE! So the next time the cares of this world make you question your Heavenly Father, I hope you can laugh in their faces and say, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
xoxo, Kenna
