Did you ever laugh? Sometimes, adults have grown up in such a difficult childhood that they never, or hardly ever, remember laughing. Hopefully, that isn't you, but let's assume you had a normal childhood filled with laughter. Your imagination ran wild. You played by yourself in a world of dreams and wonder, or you had siblings and childhood friends with whom you played and laughed. Do you still laugh like those childhood days?

Maybe you're grown up, and now you view laughter like a child as a thing of the past. After all, you're an adult, and your worldview is that adults are more serious and shouldn't laugh – at least not often. Sure, you might have times of enjoyment, or what you might even describe as fun, but do you laugh? Do you laugh as you once did? Maybe not as a child, but do you laugh as you did before your life became so serious?

That’s a tough question to answer solidly because the Bible doesn’t address Jesus’ personal life, so we’ll need to use some imagination and do some theological digging. Let's begin with a question. When Jesus healed people, did He laugh with them in their joy? When the man born blind could see for the first time ever (John 9:1-12), did Jesus laugh? When the leper once again had soft, clean, disease-free skin, do you think Jesus laughed (Mark 1:40-45)? How about the lame man when Jesus healed him (John 5:1-15)? Do you think Jesus laughed as He watched the man jump, dance, run, and shout? I believe Jesus laughed at such sights. And how about when Jesus raised the girl from the dead (Mark 5:21-43)? Do you think He laughed, or at least had a huge grin, as He saw the joy of her parents?

Let's use some theology. Don't get frightened. We're only looking at something John wrote in his Gospel. Jesus was teaching that He was the Good Shepherd. Read what Jesus taught.

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10 (NIV)

Jesus came to bring us a full life. The King James version uses the word, abundantly, rather than full. That's a life this world cannot provide for us. 

Jesus must have smiled, or possibly laughed, as He looked into the eyes of the hurting crowd and gave them hope. Jesus gave them confidence in God and life that the religious leaders of that day had stolen from the people because of their laws and regulations. The people were weary of the rules the religious leaders and their Roman captors piled on them. Jesus truly brought them Good News.

So, did Jesus laugh? He most certainly must have.

Think about Jesus' closest followers. Those guys likely ranged from their twenties into their thirties. Think about yourself and others at that same age. Consider how they likely played games and rough-housed. They probably pushed and shoved. They would have told jokes, played games, and told some great stories. Do you think they laughed? Certainly! Do you think Jesus laughed with them or at them? Absolutely! Jesus most assuredly laughed.  

If you remember laughing at an earlier age and agree that Jesus laughed, why don't you laugh as you used to? When did you stop laughing?

You likely stopped laughing when life got serious. Maybe school was difficult for you. Perhaps it was when you graduated from school, and you hit life like it was a brick wall. Maybe it was an illness. Maybe it was a loved one’s illness. It may be your job that piled stress on you. If you stop and think about it, you can likely remember the period of your life when your laughter diminished or even ceased. But is that what Jesus had in mind for us adults when He said He came to bring us life so that we can live fully? Doesn't an abundant life include laughter?

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Church at Philippi, reveals he understood Jesus' teaching. He was under arrest by the Roman government when he wrote that letter, yet he was able to rejoice in his experience. He was in prison and unable to do anything about what his opposition said about him. Paul was helpless to refute their lies, yet let’s read what he wrote about those who hated him.

¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice - Philippians 1:17–18 (NIV)

Paul rejoiced despite those lies. Paul rejoiced despite his imprisonment. Paul rejoiced even though he was helpless to refute those liars.

How did Paul do this? He understood that he and everyone who followed Christ and trusted his teaching were praying for Paul and doing what they could. Nothing else mattered because in the end, Paul understood that in many ways, Christ was exalted. BUT, BUT what about those lies? Shouldn’t Paul be upset over them? No. Paul looked beyond those lies and rejoiced that Christ's name was getting put out there.  

Are you facing a crisis? So did Paul. He was in prison! Are you stressed? Paul didn't let stress bother him. He only saw the ways Christ was exalted. Are you physically hurting? Paul had a thorn in the flesh that Jesus refused to remove. Are you dying? Paul faced death in every city where he preached, and he knew his executioners could arrive at any second and take his life while in prison. You can give any excuse you have in your arsenal, yet you cannot outdo Paul for a reason to be gloomy. Paul was upbeat through them all.  He rejoiced!

Paul did. Do you remember the Bible's introduction to Paul? He was Saul of Tarsus – the persecutor of Christians. He hated Christians. He watched and approved of Stephen getting stoned (Acts 7:58). Saul hated Christians so much that he had many arrested. He was not a happy man. But Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and Jesus changed Saul's life forever (Acts 9:1-32). Paul turned into a joyful man.

If Jesus could change Saul from a hate-filled persecutor of Christians into a love-filled follower of Jesus who rejoiced when he was persecuted, Jesus can do the same for you. Paul got joy back in his life, and you can too.  

At the risk of sounding too simple, lighten up. Give your problems and worries to Jesus. He wants your problems. He wants to carry your load or whatever caused you to stop laughing.  

Not a Christian? Come to Jesus. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Repent of your sins. Turn from them. Confess your belief that Jesus is Lord: God's Son. Get baptized to receive forgiveness and receive the Holy Spirit in your life. And then love and obey Jesus. Is it easy? Well, it's far better than what you were living before and a lot better than all that worry, stress, and bitterness you’ve been going through.  

And what if you're already a Christian, yet you've lost your laughter and zest for life? Lighten up! Reread that paragraph above. No, let's repeat it here.  

Give your problems and worries to Jesus. He wants your troubles. He wants to carry your load or whatever it is that caused you to stop laughing.  

Lighten up!

Love you,

Kenny