Five years ago, Hannah and I engaged in a holy, joyful, beautiful, challenging, and totally-worth-it-wouldn’t-change-it-for-the-world adventure called marriage. Reflecting on our marriage, one lesson has consistently kept us rowing in the same direction as a couple.
Life is Funny
Nora was sick this past weekend. Hannah retrieved the children's Motrin and we watched the spirits of our hurting child change in a matter of hours. Nora was ready to roll and return to her regular routine but instead heard the words of her wise mother, “You’re still sick honey. The medicine made you feel better, but you have to rest for a while.” Promptly placed in front of the television, Nora sucked water from a straw while wrapped in fuzzy blankets and love. She didn’t complain. Laughter is like medicine for the soul for a marriage or difficult time. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." It wraps you in warmth and love for one another. Laughter is a gift from God to humanity, marriages, and Christians, yet many of us are shriveled prunes around each other. There is a “time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4), and Hannah and I try to make that a daily habit. She shows me funny videos. I make funny jokes (at least I think they’re funny). We laugh at our one-year-old son removing his diaper and running around the house. We laugh at the time I heated my lunch three times and, because of having three kids, still sat down to eat it cold!
Laughing at life, yourself, and your circumstances is crucial to enduring the difficult seasons of life and enjoying the particularly sweet ones. So, what’s so funny (for you)?
Derek Nicksich
November 19, 2020