Laughter

Very early in Genesis, there is this great story of God coming to Abraham and Sarah and telling them that He will give them a son. The story is great because God was doing something that seemed impossible - allowing this woman who was a few decades past her childbearing years to become pregnant. When God came to Abraham and gave him the news, his wife Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed; not with a joyous, excited kind of laugh, but a cynical, pessimistic kind of laugh. The kind of laughter that said, "Yeah, right. Like I'm really going to be able to have a child."

A few chapters later in Genesis, she gets pregnant (Ch 21:1 - "...and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.") She gives birth to a son, names him Isaac (which means, he laughs) and then said, "God has brought me laughter (not the cynical, pessimistic kind of laughter, but a joyous, excited kind of laughter), and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." (Gen 21:6)

On two separate occasions, Sarah laughs, but her first laugh is dramatically different than her second laugh. Her first laugh is full of cynicism. Her second laugh is full of joy at God doing the impossible in her life.

In my own life, there is far too much of that kind of cynical laughter and far too little of the joyous laughter at God doing the impossible. It's far too easy to become cynical and jaded in our society, and I've fallen victim too many times to the curse of cynicism toward everything, including God. I want to laugh, but not like Sarah's first laugh. Lord, help me to not cast a weary, cynical eye toward You doing the impossible in my own life.