“A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance…” Ecclesiastes 3:4
…“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Luke 6:21b
I am a laugher.
I am told my laugh makes others laugh.
I laugh big and often.
I see life as having many moments of hilarity – so I laugh!
A Christian brother once told me, the Christmas Day my two oldest children were taken to Heaven, “I knew you were going to be alright when I heard you laugh”. I don’t know why I was laughing on such a day as this because I was heartbroken, in tremendous pain, crying inconsolably and racked with unimaginable grief but yet, I must have been laughing for some reason.
This past week I have been to the funeral home to minister to my cousin, Ruth Ann Walker because her son, Stuart, passed away from a very tragic mistake – a drug overdose. This is no laughing matter in our community and should bring us all to tears. As I stood there we cried, we praised the Lord and we laughed. I have often said that crying and laughing are emotions that are linked together.
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with a situation that you wanted to crumple to the floor and cry only to find yourself laughing instead? I have on many occasions – great and small.
I remember, when I received the diagnosis that I have Multiple Sclerosis, laughing and telling the doctor that I was relieved in knowing why I was doing so many crazy things. Please don’t misunderstand, M. S. is a very serious illness and the symptoms it manifests are complicated and excruciatingly painful. I was laughing to keep from crumpling to my knees and crying. There is a story in Scripture that reminds me of this.
Genesis 18 and 21 tell us the story of Abraham and Sarah and the birth of their promised child. Three men of the Lord(Angels) came to their house and Abraham sent Sarah to fix them a meal. She went into the tent to prepare the food but was still listening to the conversation. She heard one Angel tell Abraham that by this time next year Sarah would have a son. She “overheard” this and laughed. The Angel asked her why she laughed and she denied that she had expressed that emotion. I am sure she didn’t even realize she had laughed out loud but the Angel told her, “Yes you did laugh.” Later in chapter 21 we are told that they named the child, Isaac, which means laughter.
You can laugh during every circumstance in life because God is in it all. He will turn laughter into joy unspeakable because we are confident in our Savior. By faith, we laugh, because we are looking to that Heavenly hope. By faith, we are not afraid of the path God has called us to walk. We are not afraid of death or sickness. We are not afraid of anything Satan throws at us. We can laugh because God through Jesus Christ has ranked us worthy to be called His “Holy Saints”. We laugh because we know God is taking care of the details and we can trust Him in every aspect of life.
Proverbs 14:13 tells us “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.”
Proverbs 31:25 states “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughsat the time to come.”
God created laughter, the Bible says He laughs. I am sure Jesus laughed while He walked this earth.
Today this is my prayer for all my Sisters:
Dear Lord,
You welcome our sorrow, grief and pain. You also welcome our laughter and joy. Your Word tells us that You store our tears in Your bottle. We bring all our emotions to You and ask that we use them to praise You with our whole being. May our emotions be expressions of our love and worship to our Lord, Jesus Christ and may we live a life that delights in You. Thank You that You give grace and have redeemed us from the punishment we deserve. You are the Sovereign of the Universe. You have created us for tears and laughter and we ask that You grant to Your daughters that peace that only You can bestow. May the mercy, the love and the grace of God reign in the hearts of all Your children.
AMEN
Rebekah Marsh
Lean into Jesus Ministries
Rebekah and her husband, Ricky, will celebrate 43 years of marriage on June 15, 2016. Happy anniversary from Lean into Jesus Ministries! You are an inspiration and blessing to all!
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