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Grief can feel overwhelming, and sometimes we wonder if we will ever feel joy again. Yet, God desires for us to experience His fullness of life—including laughter, fun, and delight—even after loss.

The Day I Laughed Again

My husband, Vic, was a hunter, and he loved everything about being outdoors. During his illness, a thoughtful friend gave him a subscription to a hunting magazine, and he read every issue faithfully. After he passed away, I never renewed the subscription.

Seven months after his passing, I opened the mailbox and noticed a large window envelope among the mail. The envelope came from the magazine his friend had subscribed him to — the one that had since expired. Through the window, I could see the statement: “Victor, we have missed you since you’ve been gone.”

For a split second, I felt a tinge of grief—and maybe even anger. It came from the hunting magazine his friend once gave him a subscription to, which had now expired. But almost immediately, that feeling shifted, and I found myself laughing as I said, “You and the rest of us he left behind.” For the first time since Vic’s passing, I truly laughed, and in that moment, I realized something powerful: I could grieve and laugh at the same time.

Psalm 30:5 (NIV) reminds us–

“Weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

“Joy comes in the morning” doesn’t mean all pain disappears overnight. It means that God promises an end to our seasons of sorrow, that He is working behind the scenes even when we can’t see it. Morning represents the moment when His light breaks through — when we begin to feel hope again, smile again, or even laugh again after a long season of tears.

It’s a reminder that grief may visit, but it doesn’t get to stay forever.

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) tells us–

“A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

I heard a little joke the other day that made me laugh.

I told my doctor I broke my arm in two places.

He said, “Then stop going to those places!”

We’ve all got a few “places” like that — memories or moments we keep revisiting that bring us pain. Sometimes, we keep revisiting painful places in our hearts — the regrets, the what-ifs, the should-haves. And maybe part of healing is learning, little by little, to stop going to those places so often because God doesn’t want us to stay stuck there. He invites us to laugh again, to breathe again, to live again.

Modern medicine has even discovered that laughter has healing effects. Laughter releases endorphins and other “feel-good” chemicals that lift your mood, ease pain, and reduce stress. It also lowers harmful stress hormones, relaxes your muscles, and boosts circulation and immunity.

Laughter refreshes both body and mind, helping you heal from the inside out.

Grief is real, but so is God’s desire for our hearts to heal. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that laughter and joy are a part of God’s healing process for us. As the Great Physician, God’s prescription to heal a crushed spirit is this: find reasons to smile and embrace moments of joy and delight.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NIV) assures us there is–

“A time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

Life has seasons, and each one has its own time and purpose. We are not destined to a life of EITHER grief or joy. Solomon says there is a time and place for both.

When Joy Feels Like Betrayal

As widows, we often struggle with feeling guilty about laughing or having fun after the death of our husbands. If I’m honest, it feels like we are dishonoring or forgetting our husbands. But that is not true! Rediscovering joy doesn’t mean we love our husbands any less; it’s simply part of God’s gentle work in our hearts, helping us heal and to embrace life again.

My mailbox moment was a small but profound reminder that joy and sorrow can co-exist, and that God’s grace allows for both. Between you and me, it felt good to laugh!

One More for the Road

Why can’t your nose be 12 inches long?

Because then it would be a foot!

You don’t have to choose between laughing and grieving—they can live side by side in your heart. So allow yourself to experience moments of laughter and fun. Grief can wait its turn!

Father, give us opportunities to laugh and enjoy life again. Keep our hearts open to all that is good and fun in life. Grant us the ability to laugh even in the midst of deep sorrow. Amen.