I've seen on Facebook people pleading for no April Fool's jokes today! I beat them to it telling my kids on Sunday absolutely no pranks. I would not find them funny and to not do it! Monday & Tuesday I found myself in a funk. I finally retreated up to my bed and my kittens did their job of snuggling my feet and before too long, I felt better. As I opened to Psalm 4 I was met with the words - "there is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole." What are the balms we need in our lives?
All we see and read is bad news. We know that people are dying. We know that we have heroes working as first responders, all kinds of people in medical settings, teachers, truck drivers - I cannot even begin to list them all. And yet there is not very much good news. I started re-watching some comedies after dinner to make me laugh. And as I read Psalm 4:7 - "you have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain & wine abound." Where can we find joy? We can find it in jokes, silliness and otherwise unserious events. What if we truly had a day of laughter? I remember watching Patch Adams when it came out. Maybe red noses, squirting flowers & whoopee cushions? What about an I Love Lucy marathon? I don't know but I think I will spend extra time today trying to laugh - will you join me?
Gracious God, help us to laugh today so that might have your joy filling our hearts. Amen.