The Gift of Laughter

This week I checked with the doctor because I wanted to make sure they still play worship music for Floyd, and she said that the nurses do that every day.  I'm so grateful for the loving, personal care they give Floyd.  I continually pray blessing for the hospital staff. 

I was watching a movie recently that showed a scene in a hospital chapel.  It took me back right away in my mind to something that happened about a week into Floyd's illness.  The doctors had told us that Floyd needed emergency surgery.  Our whole family had arrived by then.  We gathered around Floyd's bed to pray for him - committing Him to the Lord and His will.  They told us they didn't think he'd survive the surgery, but he definitely wouldn't survive without it.  The family then gathered in the waiting room to await the outcome.

My daughter and I went to the little chapel down the hall - to sit quietly and to pray.  As we sat there, we noticed a sign on the wall:  "wash your hands and say your prayers - 'coz germs and Jesus are everywhere."  We both burst out laughing!  It was a welcome release to all the tension.

Thinking back to this event reminded me of what a gift laughter is!  Laughter releases endorphins, the body's natural "feel-good" chemicals.  Endorphins help promote an overall sense of well-being, and can even help relieve pain.  I remember when our daughter was sick for a few years, and in a lot of pain.  We were encouraged to watch funny movies in order to promote the healing benefit of laughter.  It was a good "medicine."  Both Floyd and our daughter have what I call "contagious laughter."  If one of them started laughing, it spread.  I often miss Floyd's laugh - it always made me feel better.

Laughter isn't just something our body does - it's a provision of the Lord for help in our health.  It relieves stress, tension, and anxiety.  It boosts our immune system.  It relieves pain, and helps us deal with difficult situations.  God certainly knew what He was doing when he created us to laugh.   Mayo Clinic in the U.S. agrees.  It says that "laughter really is a great medicine!"  And there's no harmful side effects!!

I once did a study on "smiling."  Many of the same benefits come from a simple smile as come from laughter.....and it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown.  Smiling can lower your blood pressure, make you feel good, help keep you positive, and even help us look younger!

And smiling is very contagious!  I've tried it with grumpy sales clerks!  A smile almost always produces a smile in return - and combined with a kind work.....it's close to miraculous in its impact.

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."  Proverbs 17:22

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh."  Ecclesiastes 3:4

"A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed."  Proverbs 15:13

"Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."  Luke 6:21

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; then they said among the nations, 'the Lord has done great things for them.' "  Psalm 126:2

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting."  Job 8:21

So - back to the time in the hospital......we waited for hours while Floyd was in surgery.  The doctors finally came out and said that when they went to operate, the problem that had been shown on scans and on an MRI was gone!  They even yelled at the technicians thinking they had made a mistake in their reading of the scans.  There was nothing there, so they sent him back to ICU.  The head doctor came to me and said "I think you got the miracle you said you were praying for!"

It was just one in a series of many miracles we saw.  I don't understand everything about this unexpected journey, but I know God has been with us.  There have been tears, prayers, waiting, and even laughter along the way.....and God has walked closely with us through everything.  He has been so faithful!