Monday, August 6, 2007

Hope All around Us
Scripture: Psalm 126

Laugh! For Goodness Sake
Those who go out weeping . . . shall come home with shouts of joy.
Psalm 126:6

The family was riddled with sorrow, for a sister had died of brain cancer and the elderly mother’s mind was restlessly unclear. Both women had been very fond of chocolate. One afternoon, the mother spontaneously asked a son, “Do you think there’s chocolate in heaven?” When he shared this with the family, one quipped, “Not any more. Lynn (pseudonym) will have eaten it all!” Laughter!

This reminds me of the occasions I’ve been in stitches laughing among Nicaraguan friends, folk who have lost many loved ones in struggles for justice and who are very poor. But how they can laugh—and I see Jesus laughing among them.

It’s been said that laughter isn’t the opposite of seriousness—laughter is the opposite of despair. So open your ears to this hope chortling through the music of the spheres.

Action Step: Listen for—and think about—the laughter you notice this week. And let go to laughter yourself!
God of tears and laughter, may we weep and laugh heartily, affirming your life in all its fullness. Amen.

Fairlie Ritchie, Toronto, Ontario

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