God hath made me to laugh...

so that all that hear will laugh with me."
(Genesis 21:6)

When I was young (about the age of this picture...how cute is this little munchkin? & yes that patch on my sleeve says "I like you"), my family was gathered for family prayer. As my Dad began that prayer, I got the giggles. No explanation. I just got them.
Dad invited me to leave the room.
And he started praying again.

Then my two older sisters started giggling.
Dad invited them to leave the room.
And he started praying again.

Then, as he and my mother knelt for FAMILY prayer, I remember the three of us girls standing out in the entry way. And THEN, my MOTHER...my mature mother...started giggling.
Dad invited her to leave the room.
And Dad had family prayer all by himself.

I still laugh about that.
It's a classic Christensen story.
And a classic "Laurel giggles at inappropriate times" story.

It happened throughout my school years.
I was sent out of the classroom many times to "get control" of myself.
It never worked.
I just had to "ride it out", so to speak.

In the Missionary Training Center, I had a teacher who had to ask me to leave the classroom because of my unexplained case of the giggles. And so I went out into the hall. But the thought that I, a nearly 22 year old mature girl was in the hall at the MTC because I was giggling, only made me giggle harder.

Imagine the giggles that ensued when another teacher came out into the hall to tell me I needed to go back into my classroom because my giggles were disturbing the other class. I laughed loud and hard. There was nothing feminine or "sister missionary" about it.

I'm still embarrassed about that.
But, also still laughing.

On my mission, while kneeling in prayer with a family, I peaked to see why my companion was praying with hesitance. I saw the family dog, who had made his way into the circle, kneeling in front of her, panting, about 6 inches from her face.

I lost it...with laughter...in the middle of the family prayer.
The father made it perfectly clear what a horrible example I had set for his children.
We were not invited back.
I still laugh about that.

My problem is that when I start to laugh at a time that I know I shouldn't, it just makes me laugh harder...the kind where you keep it in...afraid to breath for the sudden outburst of laughter that might be released...

But, then your head starts to hurt from holding it in...and you can tell that now, because of the "keeping in", you've actually made the outburst MUCH worse...more intense...and then you can feel it coming...welling up and you know there is absolutely positively NOTHING you can do to stop it. The tears are coming as the laughter tries to escape from anyplace it can.

If you were threatened with damnation in that very moment, you STILL couldn't stop it.

It happened last night.
In the middle of a prayer.
I thought I was going to explode...

And I did.
My eyes cried.
I laughed loud and hard.
I ALMOST made it to the "Amen".
Almost.

It's a thing I fear, actually.
I never know when it's going to hit.
And when it hits I have no control.

If it was a seizure or something, people would feel sorry for me and understand.
But, when it's a fit of laughter...
Well, then you're just immature and you feel like you're 6 years old.
It's embarrassing.

So today at Church, when I was reflecting on it and checking in with the Lord to make sure He really wasn't mad at me over this little weakness of mine....
Well, I thought of Sarah.

And I realized that...
"GOD hath made me to laugh,
so that all that hear will laugh with me."

Just remember that next time you're with me during one of these episodes.
And "laugh with me", will you?

(btw, when WAS the last time you laughed with me?
WITH me, Erin Fast, not AT me...)