Open, the Hospitable HeartSample

Healing Laughter

How can I make you smile? Let’s have some fun. I love to hear you laugh.

We love Sarah and Bill, and indeed the whole Davis family. We love them so well, we allowed our daughter to marry their son to seal the relationship. They embody all of the qualities found in hospitable hearts, but I would like to highlight this one—they make us laugh. To make sure everyone laughs, they have a cache of games they can introduce and set up in minutes.

Just after dinner the first time we visited their home, they attached a printed word on each forehead that only the other people in the room could see. We circled up in their comfy family room asking questions of each other to guess our own word.

They taught us to play “Two Truths and a False” at their supper table. Each person shares two things that really happened recently and makes up a third. The fun is guessing which one is not true.

On the night of our first “shared” grandchild’s birth, Bill hooked up a hilarious online group game to the waiting room TV, and we all laughed while we waited for the news of our grandbaby’s birth.

Over the years our families have enjoyed: a bocce ball tournament in their backyard, a talent night, a scavenger hunt, Pictionary, a lip-sync contest, a dessert cook-off and much more. All of these were memory makers for the oldest to the youngest members of the family. They also taught us almost all the board games we know how to play and gifted us with several more. It often happens that the brainy Davises win their own, ingenious, entertaining games, but the point is—a good time is had by all.

Making space for laughter is an almost-forgotten art. But it has become so important a factor in my hospitality that I often pray that Holy Spirit gives each guest an opportunity to laugh while they are in my home. Though laughter cannot be manipulated, it can be cultivated in our hospitality. Even the most reserved guests find laughter organic when they are simply having fun. Every gathering is different and every family has a unique culture, but laughter supersedes these differences. Memories are enriched with laughter. Relationships are deepened with laughter. God is glorified by our laughter.

Practice hospitality (Rom. 12:13).

• Search out and perhaps memorize some Scriptures about joy. Ask Holy Spirit to unveil the principles of a joyful life.
• Ask the Lord to cultivate genuine joy in your interactions with others, especially opportunities to laugh. Learn to look for the funny side of situations.
• Invest in a few good games. Become a game master. From “Minute-To-Win-It” to family friendly parlor games, to board games, there is some form of fun for every type of hospitable gathering.
• Note: Unfortunately, forcing people who have forgotten how to enjoy “play,” or simply do not like games creates frowns instead of smiles. Be patient and try a fresh idea on another occasion.

We serve a joyful God. Holy Spirit has included the words “joy,” “rejoice,” and “joyful” over 400 times in the Scriptures. As we submit to Him, He can pour His life-giving joy in and through us to others. Today’s Scriptures display the joy of the Lord.