Do you think God has a sense of humor? I do. I’m sure our guardian angels do as well. In fact, I imagine at times they are calling to their fellow heavenly helpers saying, “Hey, come watch how this plays out.”

I don’t mind. Laughter is good medicine. It is powerful. Like anything, there should be moderation. Additionally, it should never be at someone’s expense. However, the ability to find humor in a situation can help us through the hard of life. It is such a great pressure release. I am so grateful when the Lord helps me see it.

Last week, He knew I needed a good belly laugh. I was so stressed about all that needed done, I could barely breath. I’m sure I was not much fun to be around. One night, I impatiently waited for the family to gather for our nightly routine of scripture study and prayer. Grumpily scrolling through Facebook, I came across a much-needed dose. I share it here with permission.

A fellow Bishop’s wife was doing some personal scripture study when her daughter came in distraught because of an inexplicable stain on her pillow. It looked suspiciously like dried blood but there had been nothing on the pillowcase. They discussed possibilities but couldn’t solve the mystery. As the daughter left to work on removing the stain, my friend returned to her reading. Here are the next verses she read:

Now, what are the odds! Yep, I’m sure some Heavenly elbow-nudging was involved with that one! They had a good laugh, and so did I.

Have you experienced something similar? Or maybe the Lord has blessed you with the ability to see the humor in a situation that perhaps at first glance wasn’t so funny. I can think of a time.

A number of years ago, I was getting ready to go somewhere. As was my usual practice, I had the curling iron heating up while I got dressed. After the normal amount of time, I went to curl my bangs. The second my hair touched the iron, wisps of smoke started to rise. Knowing something was wrong, I tried to release my hair. As I pulled the curing iron away, my hair came with it! I was dumbstruck! I stared at the iron. There was my hair! What just happened?! I stared at the mirror. I had just burned off all of my bangs! Only extremely short shriveled strands remained, sticking straight up.

I remember the moment of decision – to laugh or cry. I know the Lord helped me find the humor. I felt the nudge and started to laugh. The more I thought about it the harder I guffawed. The ridiculousness and oddity of the situation flooded over me. My normal reaction would have been to cry. Be devastated. I was going through some hard things in life at the time. This was just one more. And yet, I responded in tear-filled laughter because the Lord helped me see it in that light.

It took months for my hair to grow back. I used headbands a lot. It could have been frustrating, and at times it was. Yet often when I went to get ready, the memory of that moment made me chuckle. It still does. That laughter was an amazing tender mercy that I needed at the time.

It reminds me of something Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught, “The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.” And the beautiful thing is that the Lord will help us do just that.

** Check out Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s talk “Come What May, and Love It” from the October 2008 General Conference. He shares some awesome laughable experiences.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/10/come-what-may-and-love-it?lang=eng

In both the animated and live action versions of the movie Aladdin, Jasmine begins to recognize Prince Ali when he offers his hand and asks her for the second time, “Do you trust me?” I’ve been thinking of how the Lord repeatedly offers a similar invitation.

I’ve seen it through out the scriptures as we have studied Come Follow Me this year. One of my favorites has been Enoch’s story. In Moses 6, we learn how God called Enoch and asked him to be his mouthpiece. Enoch’s response speaks to me. “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech… (verse 31).” Can’t you just feel this mind-blown moment. Have you ever felt that way? “You want me to do what?” In essence, the Lord is asking, “Do you trust me?”

This year so far has been a hurricane of challenge. The perfect storm of overwhelming has left me gasping for breath. I’ve sent so many questions like Enoch’s heavenward. “I am slow of mind, unqualified, the timing seems off…Are you sure you want me to do this?”

I found an answer in Enoch’s story. Near the end of verse 13 in Moses 7 we read, “[Enoch] spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled…so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.” This young man – slow of speech and unpopular – ended up having such power in his words that not only were mountains and rivers moved, but an entire group of people became so righteous that the Lord took them up to Him. Wow. Oh what God can do with a willing son or daughter!

Sister Camille N. Johnson reminded us of President Nelson’s invitation to trust God in her recent General Conference talk, “Are you willing to let God prevail in your life?…Are you willing to let whatever He needs you to do take precedence over every other ambition?” As I listened to this talk this week, the Lord reminded me of a time when I did just that and the difference it has made in my life.

My second year of college had an interesting start. I could barely wait to return. I had thoroughly enjoyed my first year and looked forward to the next. Despite not having any roommates returning, I scheduled to live in the same complex just a few doors down from where I was the year before. New roommates, but same ward. I was excited about the combination of familiar and new, including a few foreign roommates.

About a week before move-in day, I got a call from the apartment manager. She explained that those foreign roommates, from Bulgaria, had a fourth in their group. The original arrangements were that the four were supposed to be in the same apartment. Somehow this one girl had been assigned not only a different apartment, but a totally different floor/ward. The manager called to see if I would be willing to change places with her. New roommates. New ward. Another year of totally unknown. I was shellshocked but felt the nudge to agree to change. At least until I got there.

I remember my discouragement when I drove up. The weight of that decision smashed against me as I saw the happy reunions of others. What had I done? I knew no one. Again. My saddness grew and I escaping to a quiet place to sob and call home. “I can’t do this! What was I thinking?!”, I cried to my mom. She patiently listened, then gently reminded me why I had said yes. She assured me the Lord knew the situation and would help. She basically asked, Do you trust Him?

Looking back on that choice, it shaped me. In so many ways. It turned out just fine and led me in directions that I might not have gone if I had stayed with what I had planned.

Sister Johnson says, “We can choose to write a comfortable narrative for ourselves. Or we can allow the Master Author and Finisher to write our story with us…Let Christ be the author and finisher of your story!” May we all be more trusting of Him this year. It is well worth the stretching.

**Sister Johnson’s talk: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/42johnson?lang=eng