The Unexpected Gifts: the gifts of laughter

 My journal entry:

Laughter is a gift from God. He says it is good medicine. Sometimes it's hard in the moment to see it that way.  I am pretty sure when he asked me to laugh I had this dumbfounded look on my face that was a combination of "Huh?" and "How?" I felt like I had this expression on my face for five years straight as this ball in my solar plexus area felt like it was only growing. I was doing everything I could think of to heal on my own but nothing seemed to work. At every turn there seemed a new failure. It's hard to trust that God can handle it. But in the moment you are struggling with not only your next breath but hoping the boss won't call you in early again and silently regretting helps as your spiritual gift. During this season I also learned encouraging was another gift I was developing. I learned if I helped others in this way, that aching mass in my chest felt a bit lighter. God was showing me through failures that, yes, I can make a difference, dust off my knees after the last fall and paste a new smile on my face. It showed me I'm going to be okay, even in my aloneness and I can get back up again due to God's grace and constant presence in my life.

It takes awhile to see God silently sitting in your corner orchestrating everything for your benefit, even though it doesn't seem that way at the time. And God was showing me, not the failures but the getting up again after each fall. And how that strength would lead me out of the valley of the shadow of death.

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🌿 Maple Lane Devotion

Title: “The Medicine of Laughter”
Scripture: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” — Proverbs 17:22

🌳 Reflection

There’s a bench on Maple Lane that sits crooked under a sugar maple, its wood worn and weathered from years of rain and sun. It’s the kind of place you’d pass by without noticing — unless you were tired enough to need it. That’s where God asked me to laugh.

Not because everything was fixed. Not because the ache had vanished. But because laughter, like grace, doesn’t wait for perfection. It bubbles up in defiance of despair. It’s the medicine that doesn’t erase the wound but reminds you you’re still alive.

I didn’t know how to laugh at first. My chest felt like it held a stone that wouldn’t budge. But then I found that when I encouraged someone else — even just a whisper of hope — the stone shifted. God was teaching me that healing sometimes comes sideways. That joy can be a rebellion. That laughter can be a spiritual act of trust.

And maybe that’s the bravest thing: to laugh while the storm still rages. To smile with scraped knees. To believe that even in aloneness, God is present — and that presence is enough.

🍂 Prayer

God, You see the heaviness I carry. You know the ache that words can’t touch. Teach me to laugh again — not because everything is easy, but because You are with me. Let my encouragement to others be a balm to my own soul. Thank You for Your grace that lifts me, again and again. Amen.

🌼 Brave Step

Today, find one moment to laugh — even if it’s small or silly. Watch a video, recall a memory, or let yourself smile at something absurd. Let it be your act of defiance against despair.

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