Laugh Out Loud

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones. ~ Proverbs 17:22 NRSV

Recently I was on a road trip with a friend. We enjoyed many belly laughs and commented how good it was for our whole being. In the midst of the seriousness of the pandemic and sickness all around us, laughter is a priceless medicine that has the power to heal, improve our mood, and bring balance to our lives. It draws people together, releases tension, strengthens our immune system, diminishes pain and relaxes nerves making it beneficial for our emotional and physical well-being.

Can you imagine a God who dances with shouts of joy, has belly laughs, plays, and invites us to have fun? Jesus said to his disciples, "Unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3 NRSV) Christine Sine asked friends what qualities they believed were childlike characteristics that God sees as prerequisites to kingdom living. Their list included: playfulness, awe and wonder, imagination, creativity, curiosity, love of nature, compassion, gratitude, and unconditional trust. I would add to this list giggles and laughter. Sine explaines that "we live in a world of play deprivation, nature deficit disorder, awe and wonder depletion and compassion fatigue". She believes this causes "God deprivation".

Your Laughter

Take bread away from me, if you wish,

take air away, but

do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,

the lance flower that you pluck,

the water that suddenly

bursts forth in joy,

the sudden wave

of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back

with eyes tired

at times from having seen

the unchanging earth,

but when your laughter enters

it rises to the sky seeking me

and it opens for me all

the doors of life.

~Pablo Neruda

Reflection questions:

• What would it be like to imagine a God who laughs with us, delights in us and rejoices over us with singing?

• What might your life look like if you change the rhythm of your life and become more childlike?

• Imagine a life-balance that allows time for work and rest, solitude and community, fasting and feasting, seriousness and laughter.

Practice: Read a few children's books, spend time with children, use all you senses,

laugh with a friend or watch a movie that makes you laugh, play games with

friends, take a walk in nature as if seeing it for the first time.

Song: Every Little Bit of It by Carrie Newcomer

Resource:

Christine Sine (January 17, 2022) GODSPACE: Meditation Monday - Regaining a

Sustainable Rhythm,