Laughter is good medicine!
Laughter is a respite from the difficulties and unexpected challenges of chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, and disability. Humor can become an oasis of God’s perfect peace and joy in the midst of life’s storms.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens … a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance … (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4)
“A good laugh heals a lot of hurts.” Madeleine L’Engle
“Laughter is a reward of humility and utter dependence upon God. It descends like rain upon a parched heart,” writes Terry Lindvall, Ph.D.
“The wellspring of laughter is not happiness, but pain, stress, and suffering.” James Thurber
“True humor springs more from the heart than from the head; it is not contempt; its essence is love.” Thomas Carlyle
LAUGHTER
- is good medicine
- sparkles like a splash of water in sunlight (Joseph Lelyveld)
- is the glitter of the soul (Robin Dance)
- bursts forth from the soul, overflows, and bubbles all around (Carolyn Birmingham)
- is God’s hand on the shoulder of a troubled world (Bettenell Huntznicker)
- is carbonated holiness (Anne Lamott)
- is the sound of the soul dancing (Jarod Kintz)
- like sunshine and music and love, is prepared for us by God (James Strahan)
- is the foundation of reconciliation (St. Francis de Sales)
- is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain (Charlie Chaplin)
- is sunshine in the house (William Thackeray)
- is the sun that drives winter from the human face (Victor Hugo)
- is creative living art (Serene West)
- is the beginning of prayer (Reinhold Niebuhr)
“With the Spirit’s help, humor has the powerful potential to keep us humble, honest, and hospitable as we walk the path of the redeemed life towards our eternal home,” concludes Susanna Baldwin.
BENEFITS OF HUMOR
- Reduces anxiety and stress
- Burns calories
- Relieves pain
- Lowers blood pressure
- Improves focus
- Combats memory loss
- Increases creativity
- Relaxes muscles
- Boost the immune system
- Reduces inflammation
- Releases feel-good endorphins
- Stimulates blood flow to organs
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How Much Better Do You Feel When You Laugh?
FREE PRINTABLES
Add a Little Laughter Note Starters
Illness and pain can sometimes shroud the gift of glittering laughter, crushing the embers of our joy. Sometimes all it takes is a quirky pun, a groan-worthy Dad joke, or a play on words to spark a grin. Grab a pen, a Chronic Joy flat card, and share a little bit of #PenToPaper laughter with a friend.
Share the Laughter!
Enjoy these jokes and share them with your friends or loved ones. Then flip the sheet over and imagine what it might feel like to live upside-down for a day.
Emotions Wheel
God created us with a complex range of emotions which can be difficult to identify and explain. The Emotions Wheel is a tool designed to grow our emotional intelligence, thus strengthening our relationship with God as well as our compassion and empathy for others.
JOKES
Humor-Whale
Where does a whale go to get its teeth straightened? The orca-dontist!
Humor-Koala 2
Why don’t koalas count as bears? They don’t have the right koala-fication.
Humor-Janitor
What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? Supplies!
Humor-Ducks-Feathers
Why do ducks have feathers? To cover their butt quacks!
Humor-Cowboy
What do you call a happy cowboy? A Jolly Rancher!
Humor-Forgetful Goat
What kind of milk comes from a forgetful goat? Milk of Amnesia!
Humor-French Goats
Why are French goats more musical than other goats? Because they have French horns.
Humor-Just Squidding
Did you know that whales can squirt ink? Just Squidding!
Text-Humor-Aardvark
What do you call a three-footed aardvark? A yardvark!
Text-Humor-Banana
Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because it wasn’t peeling well.
Text-Humor-Contractions
A woman in labor suddenly shouted, “Shouldn’t! Wouldn’t! Couldn’t! Didn’t! Can’t! “Dont worry,” said the doctor. “Those are just contractions.”
Text-Humor-Dad Joke
When does a joke become a Dad joke? When it becomes apparent!
Text-Humor-Dolphin
What did the dolphin say when he made a mistake? I didn’t do it on porpoise!
Text-Humor-Dream
When you dream in color, is it a pigment of your imagination?
Text-Humor-Fish Bowtie
What do you call a fish wearing a bowtie? Sofishticated!
Text-Humor-Fraction
There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator … only a fraction of people will get this.
Text-Humor-Impasta
What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta!
Text-Humor-Knock-Knock
Knock, knock! Who’s there? Icy. Icy who? Icy you trying not to laugh at my knock-knock joke!
Text-Humor-Mars
How do you throw a party on Mars? You planet!
Text-Humor-Maybe
What do you call a bee that can’t make up its mind? A Maybe!
Text-Humor-Noah
Need an ark? I Noah guy!
Text-Humor-Oyster
Why don’t oysters share their pearls? Because they’re shellfish!
Text-Humor-Pencil
What do you call a pencil with erasers on both ends? Pointless!
Text-Humor-Peppers
Why do peppers make great archers? Because they habanero!
POSTS
Make Laughter a Daily Priority – Why and How
Daily life with chronic illness can be extremely stressful. However, it’s only fitting (and scriptural) that we as believers develop and nurture a spirit of hope and optimism about the future. I find that laughter is a key ingredient in helping me hold onto that spirit.
Into the Ark: Laughter, Grief and Pain
An ark in a different form, laughter can act as a lifeboat for those in crisis: a place of protection, a means of moving to and through grief.
Laugh Your Way to Grace: Reclaiming the Spiritual Power of Humor
Rev. Susan Sparks
Laughter was honored by the ancients as a spiritual healing tool and celebrated by the world’s great religions. So why aren’t we laughing along the spiritual path today? What would happen if we did? The power of humor radiates far beyond punch lines, it can help: remove the fearful mask of a God who doesn’t laugh, find perspective when faced with adversity, and keep your faith when God is silent.
Love, a Tiara, and a Cupcake: Three Secrets to Finding Happy
Rev. Susan Sparks
How do you hold onto hope in the midst of despair? The answer is simple! All you need is love, a tiara, and a cupcake. Using these three festive metaphors, discover heart-warming meditations on finding your purpose (love), claiming your worth (a tiara), and holding onto your joy (a cupcake) — tools that can get you through the worst of times.
Sharing a Laugh: Heartwarming and Sidesplitting Stories from Patsy Clairmont, Barbara Johnson, Nicole Johnson, Marilyn Meberg, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh, and Thelma Wells
Laughter is the best medicine, and the Women of Faith® speakers definitely know how to lose themselves in laughter. Laugh along with them as they share sidesplitting stories and hilarious jokes that are sure to get a giggle – and perhaps a belly laugh – out of every reader.
Humor for the Heart: Stories, Quips, and Quotes to Lift the Heart
Max Lucado, Barbara Johnson, Marilyn Meberg, and more
Every heart needs to laugh. Every face needs to smile. Every body needs a little lift. Stories, quips, and quotes to lift the heart.
DISCOVERING HOPE • HUMOR, CHAPTER 5
SAMPLE CHAPTER
FREE PRINTABLE
This 10-chapter study invites participants to experience radical hope and compassionate change in a life with chronic illness.
INSPIRING IMAGES
Laughter is a Gift
“Laughter lifts us over high ridges and lights up dark valleys in a way that makes life so much easier. It is a gem, a gift of release and healing direct from Heaven.” Alan Cohen
Laughter Heals Hearts
“Sharing laughter heals hearts.” Patsy Clairmont
God Will Fill Your Mouth With Laughter
“He will fill your mouth with laughter …” Job 8:21 VOICE
Gift of Laughter
“God has graced me with the gift of laughter!” Genesis 21:6 VOICE
Giggle Potential
“Giggle potential is everywhere; we just need to slow down long enough to see it.” Marilyn Meberg
Laughter is Beautiful Therapy
“Laughter is the most beautiful and beneficial therapy God ever granted humanity.” Charles Swindoll
Irresitibly Contagious Laughter
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” Charles Dickens
Cleansing & Complete Laughter
“They … began to giggle and then they fell into a side-splitting round of laughter, the cleansing, complete sort of laughter only a mother and daughter can share.” Karen Kingsbury
Laughter is Carbonated Holiness
“We need laughter in our lives … Laughter is carbonated holiness.” Anne Lamott
Awareness of Small Things
“Choose an admirable awareness of the small things.” Tresta Payne
Laughter is a Holy Thing
“Laughter is a holy thing. It is as sacred as music and silence and solemnity … Laughter is like a prayer … Laughter is like mercy …” Ted Loder
A Good Laugh is Sunshine
“A good laugh is sunshine in the house.” William Makepeace Thackeray
Laughter is good medicine!
Laughter is good medicine!
Filled With Laughter
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:2)