The late
comedian Victor Borge once said that “Laughter is the shortest distance between
two people.” People need to enjoy life. I have heard it said, one of the
greatest lessons about having cancer is it teaches a person that it is
important to rejoice more. Life is a wonderful gift. Too many people are
wasting it being negative or unhappy. Researchers have noted that the average
child laughs 150 times a day. The average adult only laughs 15 times a day. We
are losing our smiles, and a laugh is really nothing more than a smile that
finally bursts. The presence of laughter improves virtually every situation. I
recently read a suggestion from a marriage and family therapist who said that
we should tell jokes at the dinner table to our family members. First, of
course, we need to sit down long enough to actually enjoy being with our
family. Laughter also blesses mankind with inner peace. Actor Alan Alda once
said that “When people are laughing, their generally not killing each other.”
It takes a willing heart to open up enough with another person so as to laugh
with them. Laughter builds relationships. It rewards with memories. It is
positive reinforcement. It reminds us that life is great!
The Bible
pictures the Son of God as one who was full of joy. Children do not flock to
grumpy people. As Jesus took the young people into his arms, I believe there
were wonderful smiles and amazing laughter. It would have been the most natural
thing for our Savior to have with them. He experienced every emotion a man
could experience. The people who are the closest to God are the happiest. How
close was Jesus to the Father? His closeness must have made Him a man who
usually wore a smile. The promise Jesus gives the faithful servant at the end
of time is “…enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25: 21, 23). Heaven is
going to be a place where laughter abounds. There will be nothing to prohibit
eternal rejoicing there. Laughter, then, is a momentary taste of divine
blessings. It is a prelude to a greater time when we will all be in the
presence of God.
[Job 14:1] In
this life there will be terminal illnesses, tragedies, family and marital
problems, many heartaches, and death. However, God has promised that with each
burden He will provide the strength to sustain His children: “Cast your burdens
on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to
be moved” (Psalm 55:22). The following are some Scriptural ideas that will help
us deal with the burdens of life:
1) Remember to take it “one day at a time.” No
one can live tomorrow until it comes, so one might as well live for today. Do
not worry about tomorrow, next week, or next year, just do your best to make it
through the day (Matthew 6:34).
2) Depend on family and friends for
encouragement and comfort. Christians are to bear one another’s burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). In time of trials, having a
spiritual family to depend on is indeed a wonderful blessing.
3) Get closer to God. It is possible for one who
is suffering to get bitter and turn from God. The Christian must have the faith
to hold on to God and know that He is “…our refuge and strength, a very present
help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). By prayer and reading God’s Word, we can get
closer to God. We talk to God and He talks to us. His Word will comfort us in
times of despair. “…the comfort of the
Scriptures…” (Romans 1:4).
4) Be assured there is a better world to come.
Jesus said that in His Father’s house are “many mansions” (John 14:1-3). The
“house” of course, heaven – a place where there will be “…no more death, nor
sorrow, nor crying …no more pain” (Revelation 21:4).
“Rejoice in the
Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). PRAY!
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