The gift of laughter!

     One of my all-time favorite verses: "The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Neh.8:10)
     Then, of course, there's "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice!" (Phil.4:4)
     Or perhaps "In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)
     Thank You Lord for Your indomitable JOY!  Thank You for Your gifts of laughter and light-heartedness and mirth.  What treasures God gave us in a good old-fashioned sense of humor!  There's not a doubt in my mind that Jesus laughed louder and deeper and stronger than any other who ever lived--for He was a man of joy. In the midst of great sorrow and strain, despite the horrific weight of all that He carried and knew, He was anointed, we are told, with the oil of joy. (Heb.1:9)
     He is the God who created puppies and kittens and babies and giggles and bumble bees.  Just a few minutes ago, I laughed out loud watching Bingley.  He was utterly transfixed by the erratic flight of some kind of flying bug...and his persistent (but thankfully fruitless) attempts to snap his jaw shut on this mysterious prey!  What a Lord who would create such hilarious beauty!
     Today, my family has been actively and enthusiastically trying to fool one another with various April Fool's pranks.  My brother-in-law, Pat, has long been the king of April Fool's.  He "got" my parents more times than I can count.  Not sure if he was supremely courageous...or foolish.  Pat's gotten me many a time as well.
     But this year, well, it was my brother, Rich, who trumped us all.  Yep, despite the fact that we're all on high alert after long years of getting bamboozled every April 1st, nonetheless, one of my siblings inevitably somehow manages to come up with some wild scheme that fools us yet again! Even via email!  Good night.
     And after grumbling a bit...you laugh uproariously...and rejoice in the gift of laughter and fun and joy. Thank You, Lord!
     Which all brings me to one of my favorite writers--G.K.Chesterton (who, in addition to loving the Lord, had a brilliant mind and an incredibly sharp and hilarious wit).  He wrote some musings on Jesus and joy that I have long loved. So here they are.  Enjoy!--
  "Joy, which was the small publicity of the Pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian. And as I close this chaotic volume [Orthodoxy], I open again the strange small book from which all Christianity came; and I am again haunted by a kind of confirmation.  This tremendous figure which fills the Gospels towers in this respect, as in every other, above all the thinkers who ever thought themselves tall.  His pathos was natural, almost casual. The Stoics, ancient and modern, were proud, proud of concealing their tears. He never concealed His tears; He showed them plainly on His open face at any daily sight, such as the far sight of His native city. Yet He concealed something...Solemn Supermen and Imperial Diplomatists are proud of restraining their anger. He never restrained His anger. He flung furniture down from the steps of the Temple and asked men how they expected to escape the damnation of Hell. Yet He restrained something...I say it with reverence--there was in that shattering personality a thread that must be called shyness.  There was something that He hid from all men when He went up a mountain to pray.  There was something that He covered constantly by abrupt silence or impetuous isolation.  There was some one thing that was too great for God to show us when He walked upon our earth, and I have sometimes fancied that it was His mirth.”
     I agree!
     You know, sometimes in the nitty gritty of life, in the challenges, in the hard places and dark corners, we forget, don't we?   We forget His gift of joy...so we have to stop looking down.  Stop looking around.  And start looking up...and laughing.  Because our Savior is the Author and Sustainer of Joy. And joy births laughter and mirth.
     The Lord who created the heavens...also crafted a sense of humor...and I daresay it's one of His jewels.  Don't you bet heaven will be filled not only with rejoicing and worship and wonder and glory...but also laughter?  Joyous, Jesus-centered laughter.  Yes!
    Oh, by the way, if there's April Fool's up there...watch out for Pat.
     To God be the glory.