What causes you to laugh out loud? William has an Aunt Nanny (aka. Amanda Jones) who has a drawer full of Groucho glasses. This picture of William wearing a pair of her glasses reminded me of a sign that I saw on my honeymoon. Karen and I were walking on the streets of downtown Boston, wasting time in between a late lunch at Cheers and a baseball game at Fenway Park, when we came across a sign in front of an old church building. It read, "Laughter is the beginning of prayer." I had no idea what it meant and to be honest, I am still not sure what it means. But I really like the thought that it should be laughter that causes me to pray. I don't typically think in this way. More often than not, it is sadness or anxiety or difficulty or concern or hurt that causes me to pray. This world is so full of these things. But, perhaps as a follower of Christ, these should not be the things that cause me to pray. Just maybe it is laughter that should cause me to pray. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 5:4 in The Message, "Blessed are those who mourn right now, for one day they will laugh out loud." What if it were the coming of this day of laughter that caused me to pray? On this coming day, those who are hungry will be fed; those who are thirsty will receive water; those who are orphaned will experience family; those who are broken will find healing; and those who are poor will know the good news. What if I allowed the joy of this coming day to be my starting point for prayer instead of the sadness of the present day? In other words, what if I prayed daily, "Your kingdom come." Every time the hungry are fed, the thirsty receive water, the orphaned enjoy family, the broken find reconciliation, and the poor hear the good news, God's heavenly laughter breaks into our earthly reality. We get to experience the joy of that coming day every day as we care for William. I can't help but laugh out loud and according to that church sign, laughter is the beginning of prayer.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Laugh Out Loud
What causes you to laugh out loud? William has an Aunt Nanny (aka. Amanda Jones) who has a drawer full of Groucho glasses. This picture of William wearing a pair of her glasses reminded me of a sign that I saw on my honeymoon. Karen and I were walking on the streets of downtown Boston, wasting time in between a late lunch at Cheers and a baseball game at Fenway Park, when we came across a sign in front of an old church building. It read, "Laughter is the beginning of prayer." I had no idea what it meant and to be honest, I am still not sure what it means. But I really like the thought that it should be laughter that causes me to pray. I don't typically think in this way. More often than not, it is sadness or anxiety or difficulty or concern or hurt that causes me to pray. This world is so full of these things. But, perhaps as a follower of Christ, these should not be the things that cause me to pray. Just maybe it is laughter that should cause me to pray. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Matthew 5:4 in The Message, "Blessed are those who mourn right now, for one day they will laugh out loud." What if it were the coming of this day of laughter that caused me to pray? On this coming day, those who are hungry will be fed; those who are thirsty will receive water; those who are orphaned will experience family; those who are broken will find healing; and those who are poor will know the good news. What if I allowed the joy of this coming day to be my starting point for prayer instead of the sadness of the present day? In other words, what if I prayed daily, "Your kingdom come." Every time the hungry are fed, the thirsty receive water, the orphaned enjoy family, the broken find reconciliation, and the poor hear the good news, God's heavenly laughter breaks into our earthly reality. We get to experience the joy of that coming day every day as we care for William. I can't help but laugh out loud and according to that church sign, laughter is the beginning of prayer.
1 comment:
Thanks, Barrett! I needed that!
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