Laugh to the Glory of God
And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
Our daughter’s baby book had a little place to write in something like “Our Family Story” and I remember writing, “Once upon a time Daddy made Mommy laugh. And he did it again and again and again until she married him.”
And really, that pretty much sums it up. Our friendship was built on laughter, and our marriage has thrived with laughter, and laughter continues to fuel our entire family. Obviously, God is at the center of our family, but I can’t help but acknowledge the gift that laughter has been in our lives.
I believe that’s what laughter is, a gift from God. But not just a gift. It’s a tool.
Laughter is a great tool for building, for mending, and for strengthening relationships.
When I first came on staff at our church, we had a staff retreat. It was a time for edification and for building relationships, but I was nervous and uneasy. It was great training in a gorgeous environment, but, for me, what made it a ‘retreat’ came at those last hours of the day when we were all around the table laughing together, long after the meal was done.
One of the most precious times we can appreciate the gift of laughter is in the midst of our most painful times. A friend that can make us laugh in the middle of that pain offers us a temporary relief. It’s a glimpse of joy in the darkest hour, and a reminder that one day there will be no sorrow.
In the Psalms we see God laughing, but He is laughing at the enemies. In His laughter, He reminds us to have faith in the midst of fear.
But I believe that this joyous gift from God, this powerful tool, has become a powerful weapon – perverted and used against God’s creation.
Why are we laughing?
Consider childhood. We’re all familiar with kids ridiculing and teasing someone and I think we can all sympathize with the pain of being laughed at, even if we haven’t experienced it ourselves. Some might even still carry the burden of being the instigator of that laughter.
Consider comedy. Not too long ago, my husband and I were watching a comedian and about halfway into the show she started making jokes about her abortion. At least half the audience was laughing with her and all I could think was, “How did we get here?”
Then I had a bit of an epiphany this past summer while I was chaperoning kids’ camp.
The total number of campers that week was significantly smaller than it probably should have been, and as a result of that, the already small auditorium wasn’t even half full. During the morning worship rallies they would play these videos that were supposed to be funny but I didn’t hear any of the kids laughing. What I did hear was all of the staffers sitting strategically placed throughout the groups OVERLY reacting and laughing at the videos. Whether those staffers realized it or not, they were being used as a tool to train the children to laugh at something that had no truly humorous quality.
Sitting in that auditorium with all the fake laughs of course reminded me of TV laugh tracks. It occurred to me how manipulative they are. The laugh tracks tell us, and our children, how we are supposed to respond to things. So when a TV dad is a bumbling idiot, we really should be sad for that family. But the laugh track tells us it’s hilarious indeed.
I now see how anything once viewed as clearly contrary to God’s commands can be normalized, embraced, and celebrated, even by God’s own people, through the powerful tool of laughter, and I absolutely believe that we can and should be mindful to protect this precious gift and use laughter to the glory of God.