{"id":31265,"date":"2021-03-26T03:30:27","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T10:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=31265"},"modified":"2021-03-22T17:53:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T00:53:52","slug":"march-26-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2021\/03\/26\/march-26-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"March 26, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting.”\u00a0<\/em>Job 8:21<\/p>\n

The Gift of Laughter<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I was watching a movie recently that showed a scene in a hospital chapel.\u00a0It took me back right away in my mind to something that happened about a week into Floyd’s illness.\u00a0The doctors had told us that Floyd needed emergency surgery.\u00a0Our whole family had arrived by then.\u00a0We 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.\u00a0The family then gathered in the waiting room to await the outcome.<\/p>\n

My daughter and I went to the little chapel down the hall to sit quietly and to pray.\u00a0As we sat there, we noticed a sign on the wall:\u00a0“Wash your hands and say your prayers, ‘coz germs and Jesus are everywhere.”\u00a0We both burst out laughing! It was a welcome release to all the tension.<\/p>\n

Thinking back to this event reminded me of what a gift laughter is!\u00a0Laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals. Endorphins help promote an overall sense of well-being, and can even help relieve pain.\u00a0I remember when our daughter was sick for a few years, and in a lot of pain.\u00a0We were encouraged to watch funny movies in order to promote the healing benefit of laughter.\u00a0It was a good “medicine.” Both Floyd and our daughter have what I call “contagious laughter.”\u00a0If one of them started laughing, it spread.\u00a0I often miss Floyd’s laugh\u2014it always made me feel better.<\/p>\n

Laughter isn’t just something our body does\u2014it’s a provision of the Lord for help in our health.\u00a0It relieves stress, tension, and anxiety.\u00a0It boosts our immune system.\u00a0It relieves pain, and helps us deal with difficult situations.\u00a0God certainly knew what He was doing when he created us to laugh.\u00a0Mayo Clinic in the U.S. agrees.\u00a0It says that “laughter really is a great medicine!”\u00a0And there’s no harmful side effects!<\/p>\n

I once did a study on “smiling.”\u00a0Many 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!<\/p>\n

And smiling is very contagious!\u00a0I’ve tried it with grumpy sales clerks!\u00a0A smile almost always produces a smile in return\u2014and combined with a kind word, it’s close to miraculous in its impact.<\/p>\n

So\u2014back to the time in the hospital\u2014we waited for hours while Floyd was in surgery.\u00a0The 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!\u00a0They 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.\u00a0The head doctor came to me and said, “I think you got the miracle you said you were praying for!”<\/p>\n

It was the just one in a series of many miracles we saw.\u00a0I don’t understand everything about this unexpected journey, but I know God has been with us.\u00a0There have been tears, prayers, waiting, and even laughter along the way…and God has walked closely with us through everything.\u00a0He has been so faithful!<\/p>\n

Lord, You have blessed us with laughter! You always know how to lift us up!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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