Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them. Psalm 126:2

    Recently there was a report in the newspaper about a man who walked into a Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register. The clerk promptly complied with the thief’s request. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars!

    Another man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle, Washington street. He got more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find an ill man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A policeman spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his hose into the sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he’d ever had.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine...”

    Solomon reminds us, “a cheerful heart is good medicine” (Prov. 17:22). While I’m not sure the stories we just shared make us cheerful, it sure feels good to get a good laugh at evil deeds getting their just reward (cf. Ps. 37:12-13; 52:1-9).

    Laughter, at the right time for the right things and for the right reasons, is a positive experience. We all need to laugh more in order to be physically healthy. Proverbs reminds us that it’s not a bad spiritual idea, either. We are a redeemed people who know what really matters in life. That means we can laugh.

    Today, learn to lighten up and laugh at yourself, a cartoon, or a situation. Whatever it may be, seek out the lighter side of things today. I guarantee you’ll feel better... for sure better than person robbing the Circle-K and a whole lot better than the person with the siphon hose. Who knows, maybe a lot better than the person you looked at in the mirror this morning!

Copyright (c) 2001, Timely Truths Ministries. Used by permission.
Title: "Laughter"
Author: Brent Nidiffer and Jamie Shell
Publication Date: March 27, 2001

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