LAUGHTER AND JOY by Yvonne M. Morgan “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25 NLT) Have you ever known someone who wins everything? Is there someone that seems to be the luckiest person in the world? A few years back, we had a friend like that; she entered every drawing she could find. And she won many things, including washing machines, jet skis, and other items. It amazed me to hear the stories of the things she had won over the years. She laughed with glee each time she won. My mom was also fortunate when it came to winning prizes. Even as a young child, I remember my mom winning things. When we lived in Canada, she entered some drawing and forgot about it till weeks later when a huge box arrived at the door. In it was a 3-foot purple cow stuffed animal. I got the pleasure of the cow sitting on my bed for many years while growing up. Mom would always say her winning came from the Irish luck, and we would laugh. I enter an occasional drawing, but not as many as our friend or my mom. Therefore, I do not win as often as either of them. However, a while ago, I won a lovely necklace. The necklace was made of white and gold beads and had a gold medallion that hung on it with the inscription She Laughs - Proverbs 31:25. I wore it proudly. But what does the verse mean?
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Sometimes life can be difficult. People lose jobs, kids get sick, cars break down, and family members die. So how could we laugh at such hard times? Or is there a deeper meaning to this verse? The more I thought about and studied this verse, the more I understood. This verse is not about having a good, hearty laugh when we are struggling with life’s issues. Although sometimes a good belly laugh will do the soul good. This verse is more about finding our joy in remembering God’s promises. It reminds us that no matter what the future holds, we know God has us in the palm of His hand and will take care of us. No matter what, if we are in Christ, we will spend eternity with God. When struggles hit, we can think about our future life with Christ. And looking back, we can see His hand and realize we had nothing to fear. We will laugh at how minor these troubles were when we reach our eternal home with Christ forever. After our son died, I wanted to do something to help others. I hoped that helping others would help me find my joy again. So, I decided I would do some volunteer work at the local hospital. After some initial training, they assigned me to the ICU waiting room. My duties included: • Calling the nurse’s station to see if families could come in. • Getting water or coffee for the families. • Just answering questions or talking with those that waited.
