The Importance of Laughing Together
By: Amanda Idleman
The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. - Proverbs 10:28
Life is serious enough, so as couples, we need to be reminded to laugh together to help ease the tension of our days.
I met my husband at the age of 18. When we were first dating, I rarely knew when he was telling the truth or pulling my leg in order to get a chuckle out of me. Fast forward 15 years and while he is still a 12-year-old trapped in a grown man's body, I often forget to join in on the jokes. While he’s maintained a lighthearted approach to life, over the years, responsibility has drained a lot of the fun right out of me.
Most days I’m convinced I don’t have time for fun. This is wrapped up in the lie that every moment of my day should be productive. The belief behind that lie is that I am the only reason our kids survive. Pride keeps me from pausing to enjoy gladness with my husband.
Yet, the Bible says our hope comes through gladness! Hope is essential to living, just as essential as getting beds made or caring for my children. I am wrong to dismiss silliness as something unimportant. Silliness, laughter, smiles, joy, and gladness are a part of what it looks like to live a righteous life. A life that is pleasing to the Lord.
My husband is living proof that age does not have to mean you become joyless! He laughs, plays, jokes, and smiles freely. One of his top criteria of being able to befriend someone is if they are easy to laugh. He approaches life with gladness while still meeting deadlines, taking classes, raising children, and more.
Adulthood can be lived joyfully. In fact, that is God’s desire for us. Some of us picture an uptight God in Heaven that is marking in some book if we are naughty or nice. Proverbs reminds us along with many other passages of scripture that gladness is a part of his design.
I love Nehemiah 8:10, where Nehemiah encourages the people by telling them that the joy of the Lord is their strength. Strength is not found in being so busy or so put together that you don’t have time to crack a smile. Strength comes when we slow down long enough to experience God’s joy in our lives.
Take a moment to think back to the last time you laughed freely. If it’s hard to recall, then it’s time to take action. Maybe it’s pulling out your favorite comedies and watching them together or inviting over friends that pull the joy out of you. It could be pausing to play a silly board game, adding some flirtatious and silly touch to your day, or maybe getting a babysitter so you can take a breather from being in charge.
Laughter is one of God’s greatest tools that He uses to bond our relationships. If we can laugh together regularly then we know we are connecting regularly. Make joy a priority in your marriage again.
Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for the Daily Bible Devotions App, she has work published with Her View from Home, also for the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. You can find out more about Amanda at rvahouseofjoy.com or follow her on Instagram at rvahouseofjoy.
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