Can I Laugh When Life Isn’t Funny? [Episode 9 with Liz Curtis Higgs]

Can I Laugh When Life Isn’t Funny? [Episode 9 with Liz Curtis Higgs] jpg

Now, you might assume that one of the fringe benefits of blindness is that I can’t tell when I’m having a bad hair day. Not so! I don’t have to see my hair in the mirror to know that it looks ugly—I can feel it!

And, as I was preparing to speak at a local women’s event one day, I was feeling it! I knew my hair looked bad.

Admitting defeat, I laid down my brush in frustration. Then I remembered something: A friend had given me lip liner and eyeliner pencils from the new cosmetic line she was selling.

I don’t usually wear liners, but under the bad-hair-day circumstances, I decided to use them. So, I meticulously applied them, imagining how attractive I must look. With bolstered confidence, I headed for the door.

As I passed through the living room, I spoke to my son, who was playing Nintendo. He apparently looked up at me when I spoke, because he said, “Mom, your lips are black.”

We can laugh and enjoy life when we realize we’re not in charge and trust that God is. [Click to Tweet]

“They are not black,” I said. “This is raisin lip liner. It’s just more dramatic than you’re used to.”

“Okay,” he said and went back to his video game.

Then I heard the garage door open. Phil had come to take me to my speaking engagement. He was a little late, and I ran to meet him. He came into the house just as I approached the door, and with more panic in his voice than I’d ever heard, he exclaimed, “Jennifer Rothschild, your eyes are flaming red!”

Well, it was perfectly obvious at that point that I’d mixed up the makeup. Those were some excellent cosmetics. I had to scrub off the top layer of my skin to remove them.

Even though my mistake wasn’t serious, I felt like a fool. While I may not have laughed about it then—because to me, this life event certainly wasn’t funny in the moment—I can laugh about it now!

Liz Curtis Higgs talks about how laughter is an outgrowth of trust on the 4:13 Podcast. [Click to Tweet]

When it comes to laughter, I’ve got a question for you. What is easier for you: laughter or trust?

Author and humorist, Liz Curtiss Higgs contends that laughter is an outgrowth of trust. She says you can begin to laugh and enjoy life when you realize you’re not in charge and you trust that God is.

Do you need to hear that today, sister? Maybe you need permission to not be in charge and just trust God. Because the more you trust God, the more you can laugh.

In this episode of the 4:13 Podcast, KC and I aren’t going to tell you this, though—Liz is! You’ve heard of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. My conversation with Liz was “Women on Wheels Sipping Water.” We had the opportunity to chat when Phil and I took Liz to the airport after she spoke at an event near us.

Can I Laugh When Life Isn’t Funny? [Episode 9 with Liz Curtis Higgs] jpg

My dear friend, Liz Curtis Higgs, with me and Phil.

Liz is the author of 37 books, with 4.6 million copies in print. She is the original bad girl of the Bible. She is one of the funniest women I’ve ever heard, a gifted storyteller, and wise teacher. And, I wanted to know how she can laugh when life isn’t funny, which has included her own battle with cancer.

If life is hard for you right now, here are three ways Liz says you can strengthen your trust in a trustworthy God and, as you do, begin to laugh again.

How to Strengthen Your Trust in a Trustworthy God

  1. Turn to the Word. God is trustworthy. Scripture tells us He is trustworthy in all He does. Faithful in all He does. So, we start with the Word. The Word is an encouragement to you.
  2. Turn to your own experience. God has been faithful to you in the past. You can reflect on the ways He was with you then, and be confident that He will be with you in the present too—helping you, supporting you, hearing you, and loving you.
  3. Turn to your friends. God has carried others and been faithful to them. Look at those around you who have been through hard things and how God was with them. You can remember what He has done in their lives.

God cares for you, my friend. He knows what you’re dealing with. He knows what bumps are on the road that you’re traveling. And, just as He has cared for and is still caring for Liz in the middle of her cancer, He will continue to take care of you, too. Everything that matters to you, matters to Him.

Sister, no matter what hard stuff you are experiencing right now, you can laugh when life is hard through Christ who strengthens you!

“She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25)

Related Resources

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