Christian Joy and Laughter: A Review of Swindoll's Laugh Again

Introduction: Humor as Healing

There is a longstanding idea that humor has power as a curative. Reader's Digest has long featured a section entitled "Laughter: The Best Medicine," reflecting an old saying on this subject. In his book Laugh Again, Charles R. Swindoll approaches this idea from a Christian perspective, acknowledging the many ills and sadnesses to which life is subject and finding in humor and laughter the means to overcome those ills and banish that sadness.

Swindoll makes his intention clear in the Introduction when he writes, "This book is about joy" (11). He wants people to relax more, release tension, and refuse to let negative circumstances dominate their thinking. He recalls his own childhood as a time of natural joy: "I neither expected much nor needed much. Life was to be enjoyed, not endured, and therefore every day I found something — anything — to laugh about" (11). This was true even though he came from a poor family of five, suggesting that joyfulness is a condition of childhood and not dependent on social class or economic circumstance.

This raises the central question that drives the book: when does adulthood set in, and why does it seem to require human beings to surrender their sense of humor? Swindoll notes that as an adult, hardly a day passes without news of some tragedy or problem that could easily shift a person from a positive outlook to a negative one — yet he refuses to allow this to happen. Recognizing that most people do succumb, he sets out to help readers avoid this fate and preserve their positive outlook: "It is my firm conviction that a change is urgently needed — which is precisely why I have taken up my pen to write again" (14).

The book is structured around a series of ideas about how to accomplish this task, with most recommendations being simple and relatively easy to adopt. On the whole, Swindoll calls for people to develop a positive outlook simply by choosing to do so. The problem, as he makes clear, is that most people have forgotten how. He finds this particularly true of Americans, noting that "our country seems to have lost its spirit of fun and laughter" (19). Evidence of this can be seen in people's faces, heard in popular music, observed on television and in films, and read in the newspapers. All aspects of the news media concentrate heavily on tragedy, trouble, and violence. Swindoll observes that this joyless attitude has also taken hold within Christianity:

Joy as a Deliberate Choice

"Visit most congregations today and search for signs of happiness and sounds of laughter and you often come away disappointed... The one place on earth where life's burdens should be lighter, where faces should reflect genuine enthusiasm, and where attitudes should be uplifting and positive is the place this is least likely to be true" (20).

Those who maintain a positive attitude demonstrate that they do so not because their circumstances are easier, but because they choose to see past those circumstances. As Swindoll puts it, "people who consistently laugh do so in spite of, seldom because of anything" (22). He uses Paul of Tarsus as a primary example. Paul's well-known journey through the early Christian era was marked by numerous hardships that grew more severe over time, culminating in his arrest by Roman soldiers and his placement under constant guard. Yet Swindoll cites Paul's attitude as one to be emulated: "he saw his circumstances as an opportunity to make Christ known as he made the best of his situation" (23). He cites several of Paul's letters in which this same theme recurs — that a human being can feel joy even under the most adverse conditions.

Swindoll acknowledges that a sense of humor is essential at any age and asserts that "a joyful countenance has nothing to do with one's age or one's occupation" (34), despite common assumptions to the contrary. No special characteristic or life circumstance is required for joy to exist. Instead, "joy is a choice" (34), and it derives from "one's confidence in God — that He is at work, that He is in full control, that He is in the midst of whatever has happened, is happening, and will happen again" (34). In taking this position, Swindoll aligns himself with a long tradition of those who find comfort in the belief that God governs their lives. He illustrates this with the story of Lucy Mabery, a friend whose husband died in a plane crash along with three other men traveling back to Dallas. Left a widow, she chose to begin her life again with joy: "determined not to be bound by the cords of perpetual grief, Lucy remained positive, keen thinking, and joyful" (35).

This leads Swindoll to Paul's letter to the Philippians, which he says "brings a smile to the faces of all who read it" (35). He attributes this partly to the unconventional form of the letter — Paul signs his name at the beginning rather than the end, as was customary — and to the warmth with which Paul addresses Timothy and the Philippian community. Swindoll works through the letter carefully, parsing each word in a way that allows him to draw out humorous observations and warm references. The effect is to show that Paul's letter may bring a smile not simply to any casual reader, but especially to one who studies every word as attentively as Swindoll does. More substantially, he demonstrates how Paul's faith in God sustained him and gave him the confidence to experience joy even under the worst conditions.

Swindoll recalls the radio program Mr. District Attorney, which opened with a recitation of a passage from the Declaration of Independence concerning the right to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" (49). Swindoll sees the pursuit of happiness as a "dream that has died" (49), and places the blame on a widespread misconception: "most people think that happiness is something that happens to them rather than something they deliberately and diligently pursue" (49–50). What is needed, he argues, is a positive mind-set cultivated from within. Our minds give back what we put into them, so we must deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts. Returning once more to Paul, Swindoll draws out the connection between a positive relationship with Christ and positive values and feelings: "The secret of living is the same as the secret of joy: both resolve around the centrality of Jesus Christ. In other words, the pursuit of happiness is the cultivation of a Christ-centered, Christ-controlled life" (57).

Joy Stealers: Worry, Stress, and Fear

Swindoll introduces the concept of "joy stealers" — actions, attitudes, and states of mind that deprive us of joy and produce misery. He identifies three of the most common: worry, stress, and fear. Worry is "an inordinate anxiety about something that may or may not occur" (40). Stress involves "intense strain over a situation we cannot change or control" (40). Fear, distinct from both, is "dreadful uneasiness over the presence of danger, evil, or pain" (40). All three share a common effect: they make things seem worse than they actually are.

Swindoll notes that life can be complicated, with dilemmas arising every day, and that how we handle them determines our capacity for joy. Some people deal in absolutes, seeing the world as black or white, right or wrong. Swindoll does not — he sees things in shades of gray, and acknowledges that dilemmas can be "some of life's most demanding joy stealers" (63). He identifies three categories of dilemma. The first are "Volitional Dilemmas," which occur when we want to do two things simultaneously. The second are "Emotional Dilemmas," which arise "when we entertain contrary feelings about the same event" (64). The third are "Geographical Dilemmas," which occur when we wish to be in two places at once but clearly cannot.

Swindoll argues that the hidden secret of a happy life is a matter of cultivating the right attitude — defined as a way of thinking or behaving that reveals one's disposition: "That means that how we think determines how we respond to others" (77). Reflecting on his reading of the Gospel of Luke, Swindoll finds himself drawn to Christ's patience, grace, compassion, and determination under all circumstances. This leads him to ask what the most Christlike attitude on earth might be, and to conclude that the answer is unselfishness. Being unselfish, he says, means humbling oneself. He also emphasizes that harmony is essential to this process — not uniformity, but unity. The distinction matters: "Uniformity is gained by pressure from without" (81), while unity is attained through the inner desire to act cooperatively.