I love to laugh. I am drawn to laughter and to those who laugh easily and frequently.

In my home, I am the source of much laughter. I confess there is in me a bit of the mischievous. I look for ways and occasions to create laughter. Like placing a lifelike rubber snake on my wife’s side of the bed. Well, I thought it was funny!
I especially enjoy laughing at myself. In my family, my children are constantly laughing at something I have done or failed to do. As an active bishop, I would constantly exaggerate some flaw or shortcoming, such as my unfamiliarity with rural life, tendency to get lost and poor sense of direction, and incurable insomnia. I am certain there are many “Bishop White” stories that provoke laughter in Indiana and Illinois, where I served.

God has gifted all people with the ability of laughter. People of all nations, races, religions and circumstances laugh. Laughing is not limited to those of a particular political or theological perspective. Laughter comes in all accents.

Sadly, there are those to whom laughter does not come easily. I am not speaking of those who find themselves in tragic circumstances. Rather, I am thinking of those who look upon laughter as frivolous, wasted effort, even unspiritual. Long-faced Christians who measure the quality of their spirituality by how “holy” they look. Thus, they laugh infrequently, and only in the presence of select company.

There are those who need to laugh more. One study found that children laugh 300 times a day, compared to adults, who laugh less than 20 times a day. I suspect laughter is good for one’s health, physical and emotional. There is probably something that happens biologically during laughter that’s good for the body.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I attended a performance by a professional comedian. It was held in a huge amphitheater that held 5,000 people. For two hours, this comedian kept a diverse group of people laughing. The energy in the place was electric. I can’t recall a more pleasant evening. I laughed and laughed. Not the cute, sophisticated kind of laugh, but rather the kind that begins in the pit of the stomach, rises up to make the arms flail and prompts tears of laughter that stream down your cheeks.

The comedian ended the evening by having audience members join hands and sway as we sang, “That’s Amoré.” Everyone walked out of the theater smiling and laughing. I slept well that night.

Laughter is God’s gift to the human family. Think of life without laughter. God recognized the value of laughter and offered it freely and generously to humankind.

I have this wonderful portrait on the wall of our family room. It is a portrait of Jesus laughing a big raucous laugh! We rarely see depictions of Jesus laughing. We see him serious, stern, weeping, even angry, but never laughing.

But I imagine a laughing Jesus. I see him laughing at and with his disciples. I can imagine him, after a long day of serious and demanding ministry, finding a way to lighten the load of his companions by offering some word to make them laugh. This followed by a disciple offering some observation from the day in which the humor was missed at the moment but now, on reflection, causes Jesus and the disciples to laugh.

Perhaps there are homes, congregations and offices where more laughter is needed. There might be worship services and sermons that could use a greater dose of laughter. It may be that many miss the ministry of laughter, even laughter’s healing quality.
In a world where there is so much to weep over, we should not miss those things over which there is much to laugh-including ourselves.

As surely as God weeps with us, I am confident that God laughs with us as well.

by Bishop Woodie W. White

Retired Bishop Woodie W. White is bishop-in-residence at United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga.

Reprinted with permission of the United Methodist Reporter, where this article first appeared (www.umportal.org).