The Truth is in the Laughter?

There are numerous verses in the Bible that baffle me as to why they exist: some I think are just extraneous detail, some I think are just there to confuse mankind, and some I think are there just for poetic effect. This is one of the latter…the Proverbs 31 verse about the virtuous woman that laughs at the day to come. I used to think that was just a poetic figure—a way to describe her lighthearted take on life and its challenges. Then I entered the real world. My world is periodically quite distressing. Cars break, my financial plan blows up because I forgot a $29.00 charge, and I discover house hunting can be a challenge. Yet, I read of the Proverbs 31 woman, and she not only worships God and manages her household, but she also laughs at all the challenges to come. She neither worries not frets, but treats them with a casual unconcern that is utterly confident that the future will be managed by God, and his management will be good. This woman has such faith in a time and a place where “the days to come” may very well bring a horde of angry Amorites pouring over the hills to slaughter the town. I had accepted the sign that laughter shows a truly joyful heart, but the connection that laughter demonstrates a heart fully surrendered to the will of God had escaped me before. New area of sanctification—the discipline and faith of laughter.