It was the last Care Box delivery of the day, and I knew it would be the hardest. The earlier visits had been somber as I delivered boxes to those with heartbreaking illnesses, but the family had warned me about this one. They told me the man was weighted down with caregiving, dealing with cancer, and facing a list of obstacles that seemed to grow longer each day. One family member told me not to be offended if the reception wasn’t warm and welcoming—no one could remember the last time he had smiled.
As I hurriedly finished my coffee in the driveway, I asked God to bring joy through this delivery. “And Lord,” I prayed, “please help me know what to say.”
After one last gulp of coffee, I grabbed the box and headed to the door, repeating my prayer as I rang the doorbell. After a couple of seconds, the door opened and a somber-looking gentleman stood looking at me, waiting. I opened my mouth to greet him, but what came out were not words. That cup of coffee decided to say “hello” instead. I belched loud and clear! I wanted to introduce myself, but stood silently, mortified and unable to speak.
Well, Lord, that was just great. I pray for words, and you give me gas!
At that moment, the man smiled and then began to chuckle, slowly at first, and then we were both laughing hard.
“I’ve never been greeted with a belch before,” he said. “I like it. In fact, it kind of made my day!”
It took us a few minutes to regain our composure, but the laughter (and the belch) had broken the ice. He invited me in, and we chatted while he opened the box and took out each item. His somber expression had been replaced with pure joy. Laughter had broken the barriers between us, and the authenticity of the moment reached inside his heart and released laughter. He told me it was the first time he had laughed in a very long time.
“It feels good,” he said. “Thank you for that belch.”
Those were not the words I expected to hear during a Care Box delivery, but God had His own plan for how to bring the joy. As I drove home, I thought about how laughter heals. Difficult times can deplete our strength and make it hard to persevere. Once our strength disappears, our spirits are easily crushed. Enter, laughter and good cheer, one of God’s remedies for bringing us through hard times. Not that hardship is funny in any way; it isn’t! But God often heals our souls through the simple medicine of humor. Laughter gives us some relief — which our soul desperately needs if we are to live without being crushed in spirit. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” In Greek, joy means “cheerfulness.” And a cheerful heart is a medicine that strengthens us inside and out.
I am thankful my parents found humor during tough times and taught me to do the same. From Mom’s disco wigs to Dad’s “toupee,” they refused to take life too seriously. In fact, I imagined them laughing along during my belching care visit. Life gets real, so we might as well laugh during those real moments, right?
So often, we take ourselves too seriously. Laughter isn’t appropriate on every occasion, but there are enough ordinary moments 
that give us a choice: we can either find laughter and joy or allow ourselves to miss a humorous moment. It’s all about how you choose to look at it. It usually begins by learning to laugh at yourself, then it becomes easier to find the humor all around you.
James Martin said, “Joy, humor, and laughter should be part of everyone’s spiritual life. They are gifts from God.”
Faith and laughter go hand-in-hand. Long before the medical community discovered how important laughter is for healing, God knew how much we needed it to survive in this broken world. It brings incredible benefits to our physical and mental health and is the best medicine for our souls.
So, look for something to laugh about. You can start by focusing on your blessings instead of your difficulties and see how much lighter you feel. Laughter will come naturally when you take the weight from your shoulders. Don’t be afraid to be silly and remember that laughter is a gift from God. It’s free and the more you do it, the easier it gets. You might find that seeing the humor in a moment will help someone else step out of the darkness, even if it’s just for a little while.
I’m not planning on starting any of my care visits with a belch again, but I am going to look for the moments of joy and laughter. Care to join me?