Learning to Laugh Again

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with sounds of joy.”
(Psalm 126:1-2 NIV)

Do you know what grows dim in an adult’s life? Laughter. The average four year old laughs 400 times a day. I’ve spent full days with four year olds, this number feels accurate. In high contrast, according to Psychology Today, the average adult only laughs four times a day. Somehow we’ve let the joy leak out of life.

This morning I am realizing that the complete restoration God intends to bring to His people includes laughter and song. These are the sure signs that our soul is fully awake again, that we are confident once more in the goodness of God.

“She can laugh at the days to come.” (Proverbs 31:25 NIV)

We look to the infamous Proverbs 31 lady – she laughs at the future. I wonder how I could learn to live there. It’s becoming a personal goal. I tend to fear the future, to worry and wonder. But laugh? She is surely a fully-restored woman. She’s seen the Lord prevail over the worst in her life and has arrived in the present with full confidence in His help in the days to come. She’s at ease enough to laugh to enjoy the gift of God’s presence in the midst of today.

There’s a scene at the end of Evan Almighty that has always made me smile. Evan has survived the negative attention and bad press that sometimes comes from being God’s instrument. He built the boat, the flood came and the people were saved. The movie is wrapping up when God and Evan are found chatting in an open field, and God invites Evan to dance. Evan obliges; it’s this dorky dad dance that every teenager would be mortified by and God begins to laugh, and then joins him in the dance. I love the imagery in this scene: God enjoying us as His creation, His friend. The quirks of our personality and humor delight Him. This is restoration; the reconnection of our hearts to Creator. We were designed to talk and laugh and dream and sing and dance alongside our Father God. Full rehabilitation to original design will look a lot different than our life apart from Him has become.

Lord, help us learn to laugh again. May our laughter be yet another sign of Your resurrection power in our souls, our confidence in You collecting. Help us trust You for the days to come and delight in the gift of of Your presence today. Surprise us with joy in Jesus name. Amen.