Topic of laughter, I want to talk about two steps that are essential to experiencing laughter. Neither of these two steps are to hear or experience something funny, though that certainly often helps us to laugh. The great thing about these two things are that unlike hearing something funny, these two things are under our own control.
The first thing is to think positively. It sounds simple and it is. It also sounds secular, something you can read about in any self help book, but it’s definitely biblical 2 Cor 10:5 says "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," Philippians 4:8 says " Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
, I received this verse in a text from my friend Marco. It's from the well-known love passage in 1 Cor 13, but this AMPC, or amplified classic translation, really hit home to me. "Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]".
It’s all about love. God is love. We are made in His image. We are made to love and to receive His love. This verse shows that part of love is believing the best in others, which is another way thinking positively.
I was visiting a friend recently and he had a sign in his home that said “Family means you love and will be loved now and for the rest of your life”.
At the moment I read this I felt some sadness because of what’s going on in my marriage and the threat to our earthly family. In my quiet time with God as I’m writing this, though, I’m thinking about our most important family and that is the body of Christ. That is the family we will spend eternity with and the family that matters most, with the head of that family, Christ, being the one whom should receive our greatest devotion and love and commitment.
Matt 12:46-50 says "
Jesus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him.
47 [u]Someone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.
48 But He replied to the man who told Him, Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?
49 And stretching out His hand toward [not only the twelve disciples but all] [v]His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers.
50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!"
Jer 29:11-13 shows how God feels about His family, which includes You if You have Christ as your Savior and been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. Even though God's people had just been exiled to Babylon for their sins and grieving God's heart, Yah still oved them and as evidenced by this passage "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart"
To bring this back to thinking positive, it won't happen unless you choose to think positive, but it also won't happen unless you have the love of God in your heart. To muscle through being positive in your own strength is destined to failure.
if you're forcing a positive attitude on the outside but it doesn't come from within, it takes the form of a mask and often negative emotions and actions erupt when that mask is disrupted.
The second thing needed to laugh, in addition to thinking positively, is to smile.
I’ve talked about the power of a smile, particularly in our workplace but in every part of our lives. I’m reminded about this again these days and realizing how my default facial expression is not to smile, it’s more of a frown or neutral.
I can look in the mirror and force a smile, but if I first have a positive attitude the smile tends to occur naturally.