Chuckles, Chortles, Giggles and Guffaws
All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 (New International Version, NIV)
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)
Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
Recently, God pointed out to me that I had let some of my joy slip. When I was young in the Lord, I was a fun, joyful person, usually laughing at one thing or another. I enjoyed whimsy and silly jokes and I may have even been considered by more stoic believers to lack seriousness. However, as the years have passed, I have allowed the cares of life and the daily stresses to rob me of some of that joyful attitude. Yes, I still have a good sense of humor, but not at the level it was before, and I can sense that it has impacted my strength and energy.
The joy of the Lord is our source of strength and when the enemy can take joy from us, he gets some of our strength; strength for standing in faith, strength for living victoriously, and even physical strength. I, for one, have decided to remedy that in my life.
Today, I give myself permission to be silly. Today I give myself permission to laugh out loud at nothing in particular. I give myself permisson to chuckle, chortle, giggle and guffaw in public. I will be intentionally goofy and giddy. And, yes, I will laugh hard enough to snort. (Actually, just thinking of snorting makes me want to giggle). I will stop taking myself and life so seriously. If we have God on our side, what is there to be down about?
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (KJV)
Today, give yourself permission to have joy. Allow yourself to be merry and cheerful. Dare to express your jubilation. You’ll notice a huge difference in how you feel, and it will show the world that Jesus has genuine joy to offer them. Now, go laugh out loud!
