Is the Gospel Truly Good News for Everyday Life?Sample

Day 2: Laughter Really Is Good Medicine

One of my dear friends, Sheila Walsh, and I were invited to walk the red carpet a few years ago for the premiere of another friend’s movie. But don’t picture the typical red carpet events that you’ve seen on television or in magazines! Imagine more of a burgundy indoor/outdoor-polypropylene-floor-covering kind of thing taking place at a multiplex in the suburbs next to several fast food restaurants. Suffice it to say, we were tickled before we even got there.

Sheila’s husband, Barry, chauffeured us to the event since we weren’t sure we could walk­–much less drive–in our snug, fancy dresses. We parked at the edge of the lot so we’d have privacy to make any necessary hair and makeup adjustments before facing the swelling crowd of eight or nine people who’d gathered to meet us. While the place he parked was private, it was also (unbeknownst to us) next to a grassy median that was soggy from recent rain. You can probably  pick up on where this story is going. When Sheila lifted her gold silk skirt and stepped gracefully out of the car onto the adjacent turf, her four-inch heels were immediately sucked into the mud, rendering her flailing and stuck like a stork in quicksand.

I sprang into action, heroically yelling for her to hang on while I attempted to squeeze myself out of the backseat of Barry’s claustrophobic, two-door sports car that was obviously designed by sadists. Two broken fingernails and one snagged sleeve later, I finally emerged to be Sheila’s saving grace, but as soon as I grabbed her arm to pull her to dry land, the heels of my shoes pierced through the muck too, effectively pinning me in place right beside her. We grabbed each other frantically, like two sailors who know their ship is going down fast and realize they’ve  missed the opportunity to jump overboard.

As we toppled over in an ungainly heap, I really had no option but to fall squarely on top of my more petite pal. After much futile slipping and sliding, we began laughing hysterically and momentarily lost the ability to stand, even had we been able to find some leverage. This is the point in the story when, from somewhere underneath me, Sheila squeaked, “Help me, I’m peeing and I can’t stop!”

Our recent “peetastrophe” was an effective reminder that, whether we’re braving a red carpet premiere night or an ordinary weekday morning, the ability to laugh at ourselves is a key component to personal happiness.

Sometimes God does it through funny moments we share with friends. Other times He does it through intimate moments shared only with Him. He even does it through hard situations, in moments we wouldn’t expect. But regardless of how He does it, God promises laughter and joy to all of His kids, even the leaky ones!

➤At what point in your own story have you seen God give you laughter as a means to bravely walk through a difficult situation?