A Season to Smile

By Guest Contributor July 21, 2014

By: Chris Maxwell

(Portions of this post are from Chris Maxwell’s book, Pause for Moms.)

It’s okay to stop and laugh every once in a while. Statistics inform us that chuckles come less frequently as birthdays add up. According to the May / June, 1998, issue of Children’s Ministry Magazine, four-year-olds laugh 400 times each day, while 40-year-old people laugh only four times a day.

Time still flies whether or not we are having fun. I suggest we allow the joy of the Lord to become our strength. Not fake giggles or crude humor—true happiness from hearts that grasp the goodness of life. Some things are simply not as bad as they seem. So pause and add a laugh. Find someone to share it with.

I can remember a morning that started stormy. Not outside. In the kitchen. Two of our sons argued while eating breakfast over major issue—the ownership of a magic marker.

I gently asked them to stop arguing. They continued. I strongly encouraged them to stop arguing. They did not. I raised my voice, informing them to lower theirs. Finally, as coach, I called timeout, instructing them to cease the battle until I asked their mother which one owned the marker. I told them to say nothing until I gave permission.

Finally, we arrived at a solution. But the atmosphere of frustration endured. I was furious as I drove them to school in silence.

My third son said he had something to read. I told him to wait. I was now in too bad a mood to be put in a good mood. Know the feeling?

He asked again, so I approved. He started reading from a joke book.

The first joke was funny, but only the reader laughed. The other three of us did not. But with each silly question and answer, laughter entered our morning. By the time I dropped everyone off, the pressure had lifted and everyone started the day with a smile.

Driving away by myself, I thought about laughter. I realized that little things became too big too frequently.

Have you heard the one from Solomon? “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov. 17:22). What about the one telling us to stop grieving, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10)?

Serious repentance and somber moments are crucial. But so are smiles, laughter, and joy. Do not leave them out.