Laughter has a way of diffusing what feels overwhelming. It can soften tense moments, and it has even been shown to lower stress levels and blood pressure. If laughter is so good for us, why can it be so hard to laugh?
Verse 25 in Proverbs 31 has always been part encouragement and part challenge to me. A woman who laughs at the future? She’s not worried about it or bracing for it. She laughs. When I picture it in my mind, that’s who I want to be: a confident and carefree, joyful woman.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
Proverbs 31:25
Proverbs 31 is an oracle that King Lemuel’s mother taught him (v1). It’s an acrostic poem, each line beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In it, the kind of woman worth pursuing is described. This woman represents a collection of qualities that women of God portray, but even more important than what this “woman” does is who this woman fears (v30b). She is praiseworthy because she fears the Lord.
This woman is not carefree because life is easy. She works hard. She plans. She provides. She faces real responsibility and real uncertainty. She can only laugh at the days to come because she fears the Lord and places her confidence is in Him.
Until we’ve settled in our hearts, once and for all, that God is good, that He is for us, that His plans are always better than our plans, until we understand that He sees the world and our lives with eternity in mind, prioritizing what is ultimately best for our souls, we’ll struggle to laugh.
So maybe the goal isn’t to become a woman who has it all together. Maybe it’s simply to become a woman who trusts the One who does because when our trust is in God, we don’t have to fear what’s ahead. We’re free to face the future with strength, dignity and yes, even laughter.