By Rev. Gian Carlo Villatoro
Founding Pastor, Victory Church
Indeed, laughing is going to help you in many ways in your daily life. Just keep in mind that your laughter is not at the expense of someone’s disaster, because if you laugh at the misery of other person, that is just not right.
We find in the in Scripture many cases of people laughing. To begin with Abraham and Sarah when they heard that they will become parents at their old age.
In their case, they laughed because they couldn’t process entirely the idea of themselves, at that age, having a baby. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old (Genesis 17.17).
Anyone would laugh; I would, maybe you would. It is hilarious when you think about having a baby when you are 100 or 90 years old.
But Abraham and Sarah didn’t laugh because they were doubting God or not believing the promise. They laughed, like I would have laughed just imagining myself at 100 years of age, and having a baby. That would be really funny, but that doesn’t mean disrespect to the Lord or lack of faith.
Now, others might disagree with me, perhaps because they are more serious theologians than me, and their viewpoint is more focused on the high respect that we need to show to our Lord all the time. I understand, accept and respect that. However, probably it has to do with your own character, your personality.
Some people are funnier than others and some are more serious than others. Also it has to do with your childhood experiences, your home culture and family humor.
The truth about laughing is that makes you experience certain emotions and feelings that are really great. When you laugh, you relax and you have a good time. You become more understanding with the rest and with the situations around you.
Quite often I imagine our Lord, sitting on His Holy Throne looking at some of the things that we do, and He is thinking — oh no! Please tell me you are not going to do that … and I keep imagining the Lord holding His head with His hands, and closing His eyes, while shaking His head, and then He looks at the Angels, and they are just looking at the Lord, like saying — Oh Lord, we are so sorry.
Somehow it is like me, as a dad, watching my kids doing certain things that were not too smart and it was better for me just to laugh, instead of getting angry, because after all, somehow my kids needed to learn some things in life that only through their own experience they will comprehend well.
When you laugh, you will always have a better time, even while you are going through tough situations. There are many promises in the Scripture that talk about the Triumph of God at the End. So, we know that Good wins and will always win. Therefore, although we can suffer for a little while, it is like being part of a team, playing any sport, and while you are losing the game, you know already that at the end your team won the match. So, in life we can laugh in the midst of our tribulations and challenges.
God already won the Battle, and the Victory is His. So, for now, we can laugh and enjoy life, because in Jesus Christ we are more than Conquerors.
