When Cancer Steals Your Joy and Laughter, September 15
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
If you find this devotional inspiring please consider making a donation so we can continue to create powerful devotions for all those impacted by cancer.
By Niki Hardy
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: … a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 NIV).
They say laughter is the best medicine. It’s been proven to send those feel-good hormones, endorphins, rushing around our bodies, lowering our heart rate, and reducing stress. When we’re up to our eyeballs in appointments, treatments, and nausea, though, laughing can become a distant memory.
Laughing when you have cancer raging through your body can seem inappropriate. If we laugh too much, people simply think we’re in denial and aren’t grappling with the severity of our situation. The trouble for me was, if I hadn’t seen the funny side, I truly believe the weight of what I was carrying would have crushed me. Cancer IS a serious business, but it has no right and no say in whether it steals our laughter (and those feel-good endorphins we need so badly) along with everything else.
When I was diagnosed, our kids were 14, 12, and 9. As I prepped for my colonoscopy, the sight of me drinking 14 million gallons of prep fluid and basically setting up camp within a 10-second sprint of the loo had everyone smirking and laughing. It felt good to laugh.
Until it wasn’t. When the results came back that they’d found a tumor and it was cancer, no one laughed—least of all the kids.
But as time went on and treatment began, we slowly began to learn to laugh when we could have cried. And then there was the time I brushed my teeth with Preparation H.
The truth is, I just wasn’t thinking. As I started to brush my teeth, the lack of the familiar minty fresh taste immediately rang some alarm bells. I looked down at the tube of Preparation H telling me in no uncertain terms it was for external use only.
I ran out of the bathroom foaming at the mouth, and screaming about the disgusting taste. My calm, dry-witted son just sighed, threw me his tube of Crest and helpfully mentioned that the manufacturers of Preparation H probably didn’t have taste in mind when they developed it. Thanks, son.
Once I was minty fresh again, it didn’t take long for us to laugh at how I’d obviously NOT read the instructions. I had not “cleansed the affected area by patting or blotting” and I had no intention of using it especially after a bowel movement.
What did God teach me that day? That it’s okay to laugh, and that sometimes joy comes from taking what life throws at us and daring to see the funny side.
Wouldn’t it be great to take back laughter and joy from cancer’s grip?
Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there’s a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, but no one said those times had to be separated in time and space.
So, let’s give ourselves permission to laugh, let’s go in search of it, let’s share it with others, and why don’t we allow God into our laughter. I reckon He’s got a wonderful, resonant laugh that echoes through our souls.
Pray: God of joy and laughter, You take delight in Your creation and in me. It’s not easy to find joy and laughter in the midst of all I’m going through. Show me ways to weave laughter into my days. Use the joy in my life to lighten the burdens within me. Through the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Your Turn: Look for what God is placing in your day for you to laugh about. Seize the joy and notice how good it feels to do so. Thank Him for sharing it with you.
Looking for a good laugh? Check out Niki’s podcast on this topic, Chemo Chair Prayers Episode 4. It’s hilarious!!
Niki Hardy, Family Member and Cancer Survivor
Niki is a British author, speaker, podcast host, and cancer thriver. Through her books Breathe Again: How to Live Well When Life Falls Apart and One Minute Prayers for Women with Cancer, and her free Trusting God Through Cancer Summit and Chemo Chair Prayers podcast, she helps people discover that life doesn’t have to be pain-free to be full, then to go live it. Download her FREE book bundle or find other resources at nikihardy.com.
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
To learn more about our ministry and the services we provide visit our website by clicking here.
