Week 3 October 2026 - REFLECTION ON GREAT SIDE EFFECTS

“A cheerful heart is good medicine…He will yet fill our mouth with laughter…”   Proverbs 17:22; Job 8:21

Facebook posts may prompt an occasional LOL that tickles both writer and reader.  No Bible verse, not even in the most culture-friendly translation, inserts anything calling for ”laughing out loud.”  In fact, I cringed out loud when in an attempt to unwind, I decided to sample an episode of R.J. Decker.  It was billed as one of the great new shows on TV and I took the bait.  Within minutes I pulled the plug, because I suffer from Ophidiophobia, an irrational fear of snakes.  Yet from the very onset, each setting was slithering with snakes, some even coiled around the neck of their smitten handlers.  I’d rather watch paint drying on a wall, therapeutically, that is, for laughing out loud!  

Then I chanced upon a story in THE ONE YEAR BOOK OF CHRISTIAN HISTORY and magically reversed course.  The snake handler was a close friend of Billy Graham from boyhood, who went on to become a great associate evangelist in his ministry. The man was Grady Wilson and he had the “kissingest” wedding on record.  The romance turned serious when he took Wilma Hardie canoeing.  Upon stepping ashore, she saw a small green water snake sunning itself on a nearby log.  Reacting as if it were a boa constrictor, she flung herself at Grady and he bravely flung the harmless critter into the bushes.  With an inward smile he thanked God for sending that water snake. Their chaotic wedding was held at her parents’ home.  The best  man had missed the rehearsal, and every one arrived late for the ceremony.  Meanwhile, the minister told the nervous groom what signal to wait for to kiss the bride, namely “Let us pray.”  At the start of the wedding he began the invocation by saying, “Let us pray.”  Grady lifted Wilma’s veil and kissed her.  The best man hissed, “Not now, you moron.”  When the groom was asked to repeat the words, “With all my worldly goods I thee endow,” his best man whispered, “There goes your shotgun and rod and reel.”  At the end of the ceremony the minister said, “You may now kiss the bride.”  So Grady did – for the third time.  This launched a marriage filled with love and laughter.  The couple was blessed with two daughters and a rich life of serving the Lord together.

God created laughter as a divine gift to bring joy, relieve physical and emotional pain, and connect people.  As good medicine, it reflects God’s goodness, relational love, and the unique balance of human nature as physical and spiritual beings.  Laughter reduces stress, relaxes the body, and releases feel-good endorphins.  It helps people navigate hardships, grief, and the brokenness of the world by lightening their spirit.  Shared laughter builds trust, diffuses tension, and unites people in fellowship. The word “laughter” occurs in Scripture many times, but in nuanced forms.  It can be weaponized to cause hurt, confusion, or even resemble hatred.  Just how beneficial or factual are our casual LOLs?  Why not just reply, “That was so funny!”?