The Joyful Gift of Laughter
(Finding Joy and Lightness in Life’s Later Seasons)
When was the last time you laughed—really laughed? Not just a polite smile, but a deep, joyful laugh that made your sides hurt? God gave us laughter as medicine for the soul. And maybe in later life, we need it more than ever.
Laughter plays a vital part in our lives by supporting healing, building bonds between people, and bringing happiness. Can you recall reading joke books or spending a night filled with laughter among friends?
Scripture:
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
Additional Verses:
- “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” – Job 8:21 (NIV)
- “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” – Psalm 126:2 (NIV)
- “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face.” – Proverbs 15:13 (ESV)
- “There is a time for everything… a time to weep and a time to laugh.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 (NIV)
Scripture Reflection
On Proverbs 17:22 – A “cheerful heart” is good medicine. Not just pleasant. Medicine. Healing. Therapeutic. Laughter actually helps our bodies and our spirits. But notice what the verse contrasts it with: a “crushed spirit dries up the bones.” When we lose joy, when we stop laughing, something in us withers. God designed us to need laughter. It is not optional. It is medicine for our souls.
On Job 8:21 – God promises to fill our mouths with laughter. Even Job—who lost everything—received this promise. Laughter will return. Joy will come back. This is hope for those going through hard seasons. You may not be laughing now. But God will bring laughter again. He promises to fill your mouth with it.
On Psalm 126:2 – When God restored His people, laughter came flooding back. “Our mouths were filled with laughter.” Not just smiles. Filled. Overflowing. This is what God does—He brings joy and laughter back to His people. Even after long seasons of sorrow, laughter returns.
On Proverbs 15:13 – Your heart affects your face. When your heart is joyful, your face shows it. This works both ways. When you laugh, your heart feels lighter. Scientists call this the “facial feedback hypothesis”—your facial expressions actually influence your emotions. God designed us this way. Laughter creates joy. Joy creates laughter. It is a beautiful cycle.
On Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 – There is “a time to weep and a time to laugh.” Both are normal. Both are needed. We cannot laugh all the time. But we also should not weep all the time. Life includes both. And right now, maybe it is time to laugh again. Maybe you have wept enough. Maybe God is inviting you back to laughter.
Stories
Frank’s Joke Collection
Frank, 83, keeps a small notebook in his pocket. “My joke book,” he calls it with a grin. Inside are jokes—clean, corny, the kind that make people groan and laugh at the same time.
“I started collecting jokes after my wife died,” Frank explained. “I was so sad. Everything felt heavy. Then one day, a friend told me a silly joke, and I laughed—really laughed—for the first time in months. And something broke loose inside me.”
Frank decided he needed more laughter in his life. So, he started collecting jokes. “Whenever someone tells me a good one, I write it down. Then I share them with people—at church, at the store, anywhere.”
Why does he do this? “Because laughter is medicine. Proverbs 17:22 says so. I take my medicine every day.” Frank smiled. “Plus, making other people laugh makes me feel good, too. When I see someone smile, when they laugh at my terrible jokes, I feel joy. We need each other’s laughter.”
Frank has a favorite joke about a church usher and a sleeping parishioner. He will tell it to anyone who will listen. “It is not a great joke,” he admits. “But it makes people laugh. And that is the point. Not to be clever. Just to bring joy.”
Mildred’s Laughter Therapy Group
Mildred, 79, facilitates what she calls “Laughter Therapy” at her senior center. Once a week, a group gathers to laugh together. Intentionally. On purpose.
“At first, people think we are crazy,” Mildred laughed. “We do laughter exercises, fake laughing until it becomes real laughing. We watch funny videos. We tell stories that make us laugh. We play silly games.”
But something amazing happens. “People come sad, stressed, worried. They leave lighter. Happier. I have seen people transform. One woman was so depressed she barely spoke. Now she loudly laughs every week. Laughter brought her back to life.”
Mildred started the group after reading about laughter and its health benefits. “I thought, ‘Our seniors need this.’ We have enough sadness. We need joy. We need laughter.”
The group has become like family. “We laugh together. We support each other. And laughter connects us. Shared laughter creates bonds. You cannot laugh with someone and stay strangers.”
George’s Funny Memories
George, 76, struggles with early-stage dementia. His daughter visits every week, worried about his fading memory. One day, she tried something different.
“Tell me your funniest memory, Dad,” she asked.
George’s face lit up. He told about the time in 1972 when he accidentally locked himself out of the house wearing only a towel. “Had to knock on the neighbor’s door! Mrs. Henderson nearly had a heart attack!”
George laughed so hard he cried. His daughter laughed too. “I realized something,” she told me. “Dad may be losing some memories. But he still remembers the funny ones. And when he laughs, he is fully present. Fully himself.”
Now, when she visits, they trade funny memories. “We laugh together. Sometimes we laugh at the same stories over and over. But it does not matter. What matters is that we are laughing. That we are experiencing joy together. That for those moments, dementia cannot steal his laughter.”
“Laughter is a lifeline,” George’s daughter said. “It keeps Dad connected to joy. And it keeps me from being sad all the time. We choose laughter. And it helps both of us.”
Reflection
Proverbs 17:22 makes a medical claim: “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” For centuries, this was spiritual wisdom. Now science confirms it. Laughter really is medicine.
Studies show that laughter reduces stress hormones, boosts immune function, increases pain tolerance, improves cardiovascular health, and releases endorphins—the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Research demonstrates that laughing decreases cortisol levels, with even a single session of laughter reducing cortisol by up to 37 percent. Laughter stimulates the production of immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, improving the body’s resistance to disease. In controlled studies, laughter has been shown to increase pain thresholds by approximately 10 percent, with the effect lasting 30 to 45 minutes after laughing. Laughter is not just emotional. It is physical healing.
But more than physical benefits, laughter is spiritual medicine. It lifts the spirit. It brings lightness. It creates a connection. It breaks the grip of sadness.
In life, we face many reasons not to laugh. Health problems. Losses. Limitations. Grief. These are real. We should not minimize them.
But we also need balance. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh.” Both are needed. If we only weep, our spirits dry up. We need laughter to stay healthy in soul and body.
Sometimes we feel guilty for laughing. “How can I laugh when things are hard? When have I lost so much? When are others suffering?”
But God gave us laughter as a gift. Using that gift is not disrespectful to suffering. It is survival. It is resistance against despair. It is choosing life and joy even when life is hard.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Heaven is not somber. It is joyful. God laughs (Psalm 2:4). And He wants us to laugh too.
Notice what laughter does in the stories we heard:
Frank’s jokes connect him to others and lift his spirits. Mildred’s laughter group transforms depressed seniors into joyful people. George’s funny memories keep him present and connected despite dementia.
Laughter is not an escape. It is medicine. It is resistance. It is life.
The theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, “Humor is a prelude to faith and laughter is the beginning of prayer.” He understood that laughter acknowledges something important: we are not in control, and that is okay. We can laugh at ourselves, at life’s absurdities, at the unexpected twists—because God is in control and we trust Him.
This is why some of the most joyful people are those who have suffered most. They have learned that joy and sorrow can live together. They have discovered that laughter is not denial of pain—it is defiance of despair.
You have lived long enough to know life is hard. But you have also lived long enough to know God is faithful. And that combination creates space for laughter—not superficial giggles, but deep joy that says, “Life is hard, but God is good, and I choose to laugh anyway.”
As the old hymn says, “I cannot always see my way, but yet I trust in Thee.” And sometimes, trust looks like laughter—choosing joy when circumstances do not warrant it, because we know the One who holds the future.
Practical Truths (Going Deeper)
- Laughter is medicine you can take daily. Proverbs say so. Look for opportunities to laugh every day. Watch something funny. Remember funny stories. Tell jokes. Laughter heals body and spirit.
- You can choose laughter even when you do not feel like it. Like Mildred’s laughter group, sometimes we laugh intentionally until it becomes real. The act of laughing triggers joy. Start laughing (even fake), and real laughter often follows.
- Shared laughter creates connection. Laughing with others bonds you. It breaks down walls. It creates friendship. Find people to laugh with. Join a group. Share funny stories. Connection through laughter is powerful.
- Funny memories are treasures. Like George, remember the times that made you laugh. Tell those stories. Laugh at them again. Funny memories stay with us and bring joy when we recall them.
- It is okay to laugh even when life is hard. You are not being disrespectful to suffering. You are choosing life. You are taking medicine for your soul. Laugh freely. God gave you this gift.
Prayer
God of Joy, thank You for the gift of laughter. Thank You that You designed us to need joy, to need lightness, to need laughter. Forgive me for the times I have felt guilty for laughing. Forgive me for letting heaviness dominate when You offer lightness. Help me find reasons to laugh today. Bring funny moments, joyful memories, and reasons to smile. Surround me with people who make me laugh. Give me opportunities to make others laugh, too. When life feels heavy, remind me that laughter is medicine. When I feel guilty for joy, remind me that You gave it as a gift. Restore the joy of my salvation. Fill my mouth with laughter and my lips with shouts of joy, just as You promised. Let me laugh freely, knowing that You delight in my joy. Thank You for creating laughter. Thank You for giving it to us. Help me use this gift every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Call to Connection
Today’s Challenge: Make yourself laugh today. Watch a funny video. Tell someone a joke. Remember a funny story and share it. Do something silly. Take your medicine—the medicine of laughter. Notice how you feel afterward.
Community: What makes you laugh? Share your favorite joke, funny memory, or something that always makes you smile! Let us laugh together in the comments. If you have forgotten how to laugh, comment “Joy” and we will pray for laughter to return.
Related Music
- “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy” – Traditional
- “This Is the Day” – Les Garrett
- “Good Good Father” – Chris Tomlin
Footnotes
- Mary Payne Bennett and Cecile Lengacher, “Humor and Laughter May Influence Health: III. Laughter and Health Outcomes,” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5, no. 1 (March 2008): 37-40, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2686627/.
- “Laugh it up! 5 Benefits of Laughter for Older Adults,” UCLA Health, February 21, 2025, https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/laugh-it-up-5-benefits-laughter-older-adults.
- Rachel Hajar, “Laughter in Medicine,” Heart Views 24, no. 2 (March 24, 2023): 124, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10249641/.
- Robin I. M. Dunbar et al., “Social Laughter Is Correlated with an Elevated Pain Threshold,” Proceedings of the Royal Society B 279, no. 1731 (September 14, 2011): 1161-1167, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3267132/.
- The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences. This concept has been explored in psychological research for decades, indicating that the act of smiling or laughing can trigger corresponding emotional states.
- C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1964), 92-93.
- Reinhold Niebuhr, Discerning the Signs of the Times: Sermons for Today and Tomorrow (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1946), 111.
