Laughter and Joy

Here in the middle of winter I thought it would be good to consider  the topic of laughter and light heartedness. They are important to God.  The Bible reminds us:

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. 

Proverbs 17:22

For the despondent, every day brings trouble;  for the happy heart, life is a continual feast. 

Proverbs 15:15

Every day we can hold onto the trustworthy hope that the Lord and His goodness are big enough to sustain a happy heart in us through all sorts of circumstances. 

Lord Jesus, you have come to earth to fill our hearts with joy.  You want us to be completely happy.  So many things seem to rob the joy from our daily lives.  But You are the one who gives it to us regardless of what’s going on around us. 

Today is a day that you have made for us to rejoice and be glad in.  Psalm 118:24

We choose to follow Your plan for this day.  We choose for joy. 

You’ve told us that when we fill our lives with joy, we will be strong.  But You knew we couldn’t produce that joy on our own so thank goodness, you’ve offered us Your Holy Spirit to live in us and express joy to us and through us. 

We welcome You, Lord.  Come and fill our hearts today with Your joy.  We let go of all the things we can’t control and we say, “Come Lord Jesus.  You take care of the things we can’t.  We want to live the way you intended for us to live and that’s in your joy.”

I have told you these things so that you can have the true happiness that I have. I want you to be completely happy.

John 15:11

And so again today we put our trust in you.  We commit ourselves to You and invite you to do just that.  Take our lives in the middle of all that is going on and give us joy.  Fill us with laughter and gladness, even today.  Amen

I read an article on the benefits of laughter.  Did you know:

A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

Laughter boosts the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel good chemicals,

Laughter protects the heart  by improving the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow.

Laughter burns calories. Okay, so it's no replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories—Now that could be enough to lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.

Let’s have a good laugh today.