whooping it up

Spiritual resource to share: laughter


Inspired by buddy blogger Laura’s post on Happiness last Monday, I started giving some serious thought to laughter. Check out laughing in Singapore, Germany and near my home town in Minnesota.

Now, for those of you who checked out these links, I’ll bet you started laughing. And in the home town link, you probably were aware of how often the effects of laughter were analyzed from a material and emotional basis. It was interesting. But what I am interested in is the fact that we laugh.

I think we laugh because we are spiritual. And inherent in our spiritual origin is the fact that life always triumphs. Life always wins out. In fact, part of the definition of joy includes the understanding of the triumph of life. Laughter breaks down any hypnotic hold of hopelessness, worry or self-doubt, and it helps you see the light again.

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy explains this:

The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by his creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere.

A true story: I was working long and hard on a problem. The more I worked, the more elusive the solution seemed to be. I kept asking myself -- Is there something more? Something more I should be reading, understanding, grokking? And if I just knew what that unknown thing was, I would do it, and then I’d have my answer. This type of thinking is similar to trying to fill a hole with everything you don't have.

My husband must have seen this dark cloud of circuitous thinking over my head and suggested we go out for a walk, where he started to do or say whatever he could to make me laugh. It worked. I laughed. The hypnotic hold broke. And I could see that, once again, our solution is not the accomplishment of human understanding, but in the yielding to man's unity with Truth and Love. God is so very good.

So, go ahead! Subordinate that false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science today, and you will see His true likeness and reflection everywhere!

Another fun fact from the links above says that on average, children laugh 400 times a day (click here to see a real laughing champion) and adults only laugh 17 times a day. Here’s your challenge today – get yourself caught up with the kids and laugh your head off.