Blessed are...

Easy Laughter

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

The world around us does not value mourning. If you have a reputation for taking sorrow seriously, it is likely that someone will recommend that you see a psychiatrist. Popular culture sees laughter as humanity’s natural, or most desirable state. Those who mourn over their souls, or grieve over the world, are commonly rejected as cranks. Surely no sane person could find value in sorrow?

Of course there is much to be said in favor of laughter. It’s healthy not to take things too seriously. If we allow ourselves a smile at our troubles then generally they are diminished. At its best, a smile is born of faith. All kinds of difficulties and dangers may come our way, but we can afford to smile at them if we are secure in our God. Despair is never really an option for one who trusts in Christ.

However, the laughter of the world usually has very little to do with the smile of faith. The world laughs indiscriminately, often as a means of escape. Everything becomes a party. There are no boundaries to what the late night talk show hosts will find amusing. Respect flies out of the window. The world laughs when it really ought to weep. Like a drug that needs to be taken in ever larger doses in order to achieve the same result, entertainment drives our culture to greater and greater excess. No institution is exempt. No human emotion or experience is incapable of being manipulated for the sake of a cheap laugh. We are losing the ability to mourn. We are laughing all the way to the grave.



Father God,
We have heard that there is a time to laugh,
and a time to refrain from laughing;
a time to weep,
and a time to dry our tears.
Give us the discernment of the Spirit,
that we might know when to mourn,
and when to rejoice.
For the sake of Christ our Lord.
Amen.