Do donkey’s laugh? Zoologists have gone to great lengths and expense to dispel what they call a myth, declaring emphatically that donkeys do not laugh, nor do they smile. Scientifically speaking, maybe they’re right. Maybe. But if you’ve ever heard the sound a donkey can make, you are going to agree with me and say that the scientists have spent too much time in their boring, sterile labs.
A video has been on YouTube since 2021 and has since been shared on other social media platforms. Several donkeys are on the pasture side of an electric fence. A woman and two dogs are on the other side. One of the dogs inches closer and closer out of curiosity until its nose touches the electric fence. With a yelp and a jump, the dog takes off running, breaking free of its collar and leash. One of the donkeys laughs. Showing its teeth in a smile, the donkey brays a laugh that causes you to laugh. You can’t help but replay the video over and over again, each time laughing harder. The timing was spot on as the donkey seems quite amused at what happened.
Today is National Let’s Laugh Day. Whether is a giggle or guffaw, a chuckle or chortle, a cackle or chuckle, or a down deep belly laugh, this is the day to let it out. If you need some inspiration, watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khFb4FTJ4Jo.
Studies have shown that laughter has health and healing properties. Blood pressure goes down, your immune system is boosted, tension eases, and stress subsides. And there’s nothing like laughing with friends until your ribs hurt and tears run down your face.
God gave us the ability to laugh. Since we were created in His image, we have to believe that God laughs, too. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” That merry heart is a heart that rejoices. Obviously, we know that sinful things shouldn’t bring about laughter. Rather, that which is pure and
wholesome should be the things we enjoy.
“Joy is a core element of our faith, and laughter is a beautiful expression of that joy. When we embrace the joy of the Lord, we start to understand more profoundly what it means to be alive in Christ. Joy and laughter remind us that our faith isn’t just about solemnity or rituals but is also about celebrating the life we have in God. Often, in our daily lives, laughter can break the silence of our struggles and remind us that God is always with us. It helps us to share moments of happiness with one another, reinforcing the community of faith we find in our church and among friends. Through laughter, we can encourage and uplift each other, creating bonds of love and understanding that echo the joy Jesus brought into our lives.”1
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 reminds us that “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven … (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…” Most Christians know how to grieve and weep but there are some that treat laughter as if it is taboo. Instead, we need to see it as a gift from God that expresses a joy in the Lord.
Today, I hope you have something really good happening in your life that would cause you to have joy and laughter unspeakable. Psalms 126:1-3 says, “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. (2) Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. (3) The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”
1https://biblestudyforyou.com/bible-verses-about-laughter/
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