When I was a teenager, a friend of mine painted my portrait for a University art assignment. But when he submitted the painting, he received a ‘C minus.’ Obviously my friend was upset. After class, he asked his instructor why the grade was so poor. “The proportions in the painting are incorrect,” he was told. “The head is too big. The shoulders are too narrow. The ears are enormous.” The next day, my friend brought me to see his art instructor. The professor took one look at me and said, “Okay, ‘A minus.’”

Ok, this never happened to me, but there were plenty of other events in my teenage life that threatened to steal my sense of humour. There was the Great Pimple Invasion of 1977. The Girlfriend Dumping Me Epidemic of 1978. And let’s not even talk about the time I dropped barbells on my nose. As I grew older, the trials loomed larger. Joy suckers came knocking and I found myself inviting them in for grouse dinner and some prune juice. Looking back, I’m not sure that a single phrase helped me through the tough times more than the words of Jesus in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
That’s the purpose of Laugh Again. To bring good cheer, and remind us that God has overcome. And the responses to this program indicate that God is using it to bring joy to countless lives. Here are just a few:

“Laugh Again is fantastic to have on the radio. It is so nice to have a ministry that encourages us to express our joy. Why not be joyful, we have Jesus as our Saviour!”
“I recently lost my son and my grandson. Thank you for helping me focus on our real reason for joy.”
“You have no idea what Laugh Again means to me. I am a young believer in Christ. I first listened because of the laughter. I am now growing in my faith and am so hungry for the truth you teach.”

In the Bible, the story of Jesus is called “good news of great joy.” (Luke 2:10) If that joy is missing today, would you reflect on just how good the good news is? Here it is in a single sentence from the best known Bible verse in history: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” I can’t say those words without a grin crawling across my face.

Whatever life throws your way today, remember the foundation of our joy. And if someone paints your portrait and receives a ‘C minus,’ I hope you laugh. And tell him that maybe you have a face for radio, just like me.