Can Comedy Be a Medicine for the Soul?

There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven…a time to weep and a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4a)

I’ve come to the conclusion that building laughter in our routines and day to day lives healthy, good, and essential for the soul. As an Army chaplain, I experience a lot of sobering moments. I counsel Soldiers going through difficult trials. I help families weather marital and relationship storms. I’ve helped prepare families prepare their final goodbyes to loved ones. One reason I enjoy my weekly synchs with other chaplains involved in the Agape service at USAG-Humphreys is that we tend to drop the guard and work some laughter into our meetings.

One of my favorite pastimes is watching sitcoms with my wife. I try to work in a few episodes of The Office or Doc Martin every week. While the Bible doesn’t explicitly describe Jesus laughing, I’m sure there were many moments where it occurred. There were occasions for laughter for Jesus, and I think many of them came at the expense of his disciples. For example, I see Jesus trying to hold back laughter when he asks the disciples if they’re still “dull” (Matthew 15:16-20).

So the takeaway is to make time for every activity of the sun to include laughing. It’s part of living a fulfilled life. God wants us to laugh, so cut loose and do it!

I’ll get you started with one of my all-time favorite scenes from The Office. You’re welcome.