A belly laugh is good for the soul

I was raised in a traditional, conservative church, and as such the worship was generally "reserved," for lack of a better word. In this season of our lives Toby and I have branched out a little to see what else is out there. Our church in Tennessee that we loved so much, strived to embrace a balance between traditional churches and charismatic ones, and this was really our first taste to anything outside of the conservative world (minus the TV preachers, but that's a whole 'nother post).

Having visited many types of churches lately, watching and listening to church services online, and attending different retreats and seminars, I've run across a common idea in many of them...laughter. Some may call this "holy laughter" or "drunk in the Spirit" but this whole idea was new to me...but turning up constantly. I had someone tell me recently that "it's not Biblical" and quickly dismissed the whole idea. Well, having seen this on numerous occasions and even experienced a taste of it myself, I was troubled. Maybe it is in the Bible or maybe it's not. I recognize that my understanding of theology is limited, and that I have entrusted myself to others that are close to me, but now I needed to know for myself...so I started digging and here's what I found...

In his book, Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem (1) suggests that when the Holy Spirit "falls" or manifests His presence, He brings with Him the attributes of God. Well, this makes sense...seeing as how He is God and all. I don't think any Bible reading Christian would argue that the Holy Spirit often brings knowledge and wisdom with Him. It is a common teaching in the church to ask the Holy Spirit for these things as we read the Bible and He will bring forth revelations, understanding and personal application as we study. So are we still good? Good. Another common attribute the Holy Spirit carries is love. I could tell you countless stories, both my own and those of others, where the Holy Spirit has come and taken me on a love affair with Jesus. God has revealed personal, private messages of love intended only for me. God is love (1 John 4:8) and seeing that the Holy Spirit is God, of course love will ooze from His presence. Let me point to the ultimate reference to make my point here...

"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."
Acts 13:52


"...for the kingdom of Heaven is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Romans 14:17


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23


"You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit."
1 Thessalonians 1:6

This word "joy" is khar-ah in Greek and means cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness, greatly and exceedingly joyful. Now, I don't know about you, but I would logically classify laughter under exceedingly joyful. So the next time you're lost in the presence of the Lord and you feel a smile come across your face...go with it! While I've never had a moment of belly laughter and rolling on the floor, someday I do hope to reach that level of exceedingly great joy in the presence of my Lord.

The more I study His Word and the more time I spend with Him, I'm learning that God speaks my language and knows how to communicate with me. He knows when I'm in a goofy mood and when I just need to be comforted. "There is a time to weep and a time to laugh" (Ecc 3:4). While He certainly deserves our reverence and honor, that doesn't mean we have to be stoic in His presence. He made me just like He wanted me to be...goofy parts and all!

I, by no means, claim to have all the answers...in fact I can barely grasp a few. I'm simply on a journey to discovering who this God is and why He loves me so much. I'm excited to share my discoveries with you and I hope you'll do the same. While we're on that note, one other thing that has been heavy on my heart this week is the importance of experiencing Him. While it is crucial to our Christian maturity to read and study the Bible, I believe equally as important is experiencing and interacting with our Holy God on a regular basis. I could read every book and magazine in print about George W. Bush, but if I have never met the man, never shared a conversation with him...I could hardly call him my friend. I would only be a student from a distance. God wants me to be his intimate friend (James 2:23), but to do that I have to come to Him. Talk to Him. Share my thoughts, my fears, my questions, my hopes and my disappointments. He will listen and He will talk back. He will give me words of encouragement, words of correction, words of wisdom and guidance, and the ability to accomplish His high calling on my life. We all have a high calling, you know...something great that only you can do to bring His glory to this earth. So don't miss the opportunity to chat with the most High God. He has lots to say to you...just to you. It may come through a friend, a sermon, a song, or His Word, but often times it will come from the throne of Heaven straight to your heart if you're listening. May we all stay hungry for more, open to a new level of intimacy with our Lord, and humble in recognizing there is still so much more to learn.

(1) Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem, pg 644.