During my senior year in high school, I developed an ulcer. The anxiety of preparing for college got the best of me and I was in constant pain, munching antacids like candy. Then, during my first year of college, I noticed that the ulcer had mysteriously disappeared. I realized that it was because I had many new friends and spent a lot of time laughing. That’s when I made the decision to be a regular laugher.

Fast forward to today, as I attempt to balance being a pastor, an artist, and a writer with my family life. I noticed that all these responsibilities were suppressing my laughter and thus my joy. One night, my husband and I watched a documentary about the Laughter Club Movement that started in India in 1995 and is spreading across the globe. People in the clubs gather for a half hour just to laugh.

When I realized that I was serious about my decision to be a laugher and believed a laughter club would be a good thing to start, I became a certified laughter leader and started the first laughter club in Iowa. Sure enough, it is as much fun as I thought it would be! In addition to tightening my ab muscles without the work of crunches, laughing has opened up a whole new ministry for me.

What joyful action would you like to take? Maybe you’d like to join a social club. Or perhaps you want to get out of some commitment to have more time for yourself. Do you want to start a new hobby or find a job that better suits your gifts? Or do you want to sort out a difficult relationship in order to be more joyful?

If there is anything that stands in the way of your joy, do something about it. You have more power than you can imagine to change your circumstances.

“All who live in true joy.” That means you and me. God’s gift to us is joy, but like any gift, we must choose to unwrap it and use it. Let’s make joy a high priority. Together, we can start a revolution of joy — and that’s a pretty good way to kick off the New Year!

Laura Gentry is pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lansing, Iowa. She is also an artist, writer, motivational speaker, and Certified Laughter Yoga Leader. Laura and her husband, William, are awaiting their first child: a daughter from China.

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