A Morning of Laughter to Heal the Soul
“Rejoice evermore… this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Affirmation Venezuela held our monthly spiritual meeting on May 15th. Contrary to how a “spiritual meeting” may sound, it was full of laughter to heal and rejoice the soul. We had the pleasure of hosting a family psychotherapist, Yris Ruiz Piñeiro, who enlivened this meeting by sharing her “Yoga of Laughter.” It is known that laughter has the power to improve any situation. This meeting was full of spiritual moments, filled with prayer, song, and the giving of thanks to Our Heavenly Father. It was a space full of love, fellowship, and acceptance.
The importance of laughter goes far beyond a single moment, a response to a joke or funny picture on social media. Including laughter in our lives is an attitude, a philosophy, that can increase our gratitude and ability to see the positive. Laughter can even increase our ability to find a lesson we can learn in every experience. Having a smile on our faces and finding joy in life, conditions our nervous system to respond to ways that can improve our health. This joy can also bring us closer to the Holy Spirit.
Within Affirmation, we can seek laughter and joy, recognizing that this is a special community that we are blessed with through Heavenly Father’s infinite love for us. We should seek to always have a joyful heart to gain the blessing promised to us by the Spanish LDS hymn, “If There is Joy in Your Heart (Si hay gozo en tu corazón),” where we sing, “You will live in sweet peace, joy and solace, if there is joy in your being, and your soul will enjoy the love God gives it, if there is joy in your heart”.
Thank You for this positive message and the reminder to have a “joyful heart.” I know that many are lonely and isolated during these challenging times. It is vital to “reach out” and comfort those in need regardless of their orientation. We all matter and the sooner we recognize that God loves us all unconditionally, our healing journey can begin. We are never alone if we have a spiritual grounding, purpose and a faith beyond the temporal.