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
POSTS
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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.
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.