“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”
– Proverbs 17:22

Sometimes the daily adventure of coaching just makes me laugh! Recently I was making preparations for a road game with my middle school football team. The year has been a little different from most as our new athletic facilities are under construction and we have been forced to practice off campus. The bus we use for transportation to and from practice is also used to take small children home from another campus. I knew I had better check the gas and oil levels before the trip and I also wanted to be sure the bus was clean. As I boarded the bus, I remembered that two items needed to be removed before we left that afternoon. The first was a large immersion tub that is required equipment for practice and the other was a small baby carrier attached to the front seat. I don’t know about your coaching experiences, but that was a first for me and I could not stop laughing.

Have you ever wondered if God laughs? Scripture tells us that we have been created in God’s image, so I’m thinking if we have the ability to laugh, so does God. I would even venture to say that He “delights” in our laughter. King Solomon says there is “a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” So when you get on a bus and see bathtubs and baby seats, laugh! The best part of this experience was as I laughed, I fully believe that God was laughing with me. I’ve got to think a God that can make a donkey talk and allow an old woman like Sarah to become a mother, knows something about humor. When’s the last time you and God had a good laugh together?

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of laughter. Help me to see the humor in situations today and to not take life or myself too seriously. Amen.