“Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful songs. Then the nations said, “The LORD has done spectacular things for them.” The LORD has done spectacular things for us. We are overjoyed.” Psalm 126:2

“A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22 

“She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25

Y’all! I have become a laughter junky over the course of this pandemic. I don’t know if it’s some type of a coping mechanism or what, but by gosh if so, it’s working!

Recently my husband, Schuyler, and I were sitting on our back deck hanging out, and I just kept cracking (bad) joke after (bad) joke. We couldn’t stop laughing for what seemed to be like hours. It was like medicine for my soul, though, and to be honest, I felt better than I have in the longest time. Later that night, he looked over at me and said,

“I feel like the older you get and the closer you are to the Lord, the more free you are to be yourself…and I think you’re getting funnier.”

I laughed. Y’all… I am nowhere near funny, but I appreciated that compliment because I truly have begun to feel more free lately as I’ve let go of my strong grip on life and future and work and leaned into Jesus, gotten to know him more personally. 

We’ve been watching the series on YouTube called “Chosen” about Jesus’ adult life and ministry. Highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t. It’s so beautiful and powerful and personal. Aside from the miracles and wonders that Jesus performed and the fact that He walked the earth as God in human form, one of the major things that stood out to me was just how personable and down to earth Jesus was and is. He didn’t speak eloquently. He didn’t overthink things. He hung out with all sorts of people. And he laughed. A lot. He smiled. A lot. He was so gentle and caring. He certainly could be serious. But… He was also actually funny. This series just makes Him seem so easy to get to know and fall in love with…and so fun to be around.

I think maybe I had a different picture of Jesus’ personality. Like maybe He was this untouchable, serious, “party pooper” type figure. But after watching this show and also just falling in love with the Word and learning more about Jesus’ life and ministry, I was far from right with that preconceived notion. Thank goodness I was.

I’ll tell you, there’s something about me realizing more about the character and personality of my Creator that has brought me even nearer to Him. Made me want to lean into Him more. Go before Him constantly. Don’t get me wrong. He’s God and I am not. But sometimes I think He looks down on us and says “Don’t take yourself so seriously.”

I know the Bible is very clear. There is also a time to mourn. There’s a time for tears. There’s a time for seriousness. There’s a time for everything. But when it’s time to laugh, let’s laugh.

The bible says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine”. You know what that says to me?

A cheerful heart isnt just a product of a healthy and joyful person. A cheerful heart can actually bring about healing. Isn’t it interesting that the author calls it “medicine”?  

As I’ve been thinking about that and thinking about just how much I love to laugh and how much I love to enjoy things with people that I love, I realize that maybe, just maybe that’s because God created me to laugh. Certainly not all the time. Certainly not at things that don’t need to be laughed at. But, just like He created us to worship. I think He created us to laugh. It’s honestly woven into our DNA. I think He is glorified so much when we come before Him with joy.

So, as we continue into this season of unknown…Let’s lean into Jesus. Get to know His true personality. Feel free to be ourselves and laugh before Him. Take some time to enJOY the goodness of who He is and what He’s done. And let’s laugh. Let’s belly laugh. Make it a point to let go of our worries and hand it over to the One who was and is and is to come. He’s got it. When we are His, you can bet your bottom dollar that we can laugh without fear of the future. That’s freedom.

Today’s Author is Brookes Vaughan, Founder of WoCo and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Brookes lives with her husband, Schuyler, and golden retriever, Riggins, near Athens, GA. She’s a life long Georgia Dawg, lover of dirty chair lattes, and closet podcaster (literally).