Be of Good Cheer: Humor, Wholeness, and the Truth-Coordinated Life
For a moment there was hope. Relief swelled, tears of gratitude fell—and then, as so often happens in our struggling world, grief returned. Now the world watches a fragile cease-fire in Gaza—if cease-fire is the right word—with both gratitude and dread, a pause in a long rhythm of suffering and striving for peace. The balance between tragedy and tenderness seems woven into our history. As The Urantia Book reminds us, “our new and oncoming social order will not settle down complacently for a millennium.” (99:1.1)
Until then, our sense of humor—our capacity for proportion and light—may be one of our greatest safeguards of the soul.
It’s hard, in this world we are inhabiting, to speak of cheer. Yet Jesus’ perennial command still echoes through the centuries: “Be of good cheer.” It can sound impossible, even tone-deaf, against the backdrop of human sorrow and injustice we see all around us. But for those of us anchored in The Urantia Book, this is no superficial encouragement. To “be of good cheer” is not to ignore suffering—it is to adopt a spiritual discipline of trust, to live with faith-born buoyancy precisely when the world feels unsteady.
We must learn to live joyfully not because the world is safe, but because we know with quiet certainty that the Father’s love is stronger than fear. Cheerfulness in this context is an act of positive resistance—the divine art of keeping the heart light when the world grows heavy.
When Truth Alone Felt Heavy
Like many readers, when I first read The Urantia Book, I was electrified. Every conversation after that seemed to point back to something I had just read and discovered in its pages. I started with Part IV, the quintessential biography of Jesus, and then went on to be transfixed and fascinated by the architecture of the universe, and to rejoice in the certainty that everything we do in this life which is good contributes directly to the enhancement of the future life. I knew that it was truly a revelation, that it was everything I had ever wanted to know about the life of Jesus, and more than I had imagined would be possible to know about the cosmos before death.
For the first two years, I dearly wanted to share it. I pushed books into people’s hands, mentioned it over dinner, and tried to intrigue friends and family into reading it. I talked too much about it, gushed too freely, and turned on a firehose of information in my response to any simple inquiry. Gradually I accepted that I had to incorporate the truth, beauty, and goodness gained from the book into every aspect of myself and live it to bring it to others. That, of course, is much more work than handing a revelation to others and having it transform their lives. In four years of reading, not one person, to my knowledge, has actually read the book because of me. Not one.
This makes me smile now—cosmic irony at my expense. I imagine the Reversion Directors themselves would approve. In my zeal for truth, I had forgotten that truth without joy, beauty, and goodness rarely attracts (155:1.5). Instead of inspiring others, my seriousness risked driving them away (34:6.13). Someone asked me once in response to a deep discussion, “What do you do to have fun?” It brought me up short, partly because I hadn’t grasped that truth alone is simply “cold hard facts,” that even truth plus beauty is only “smart but unhelpful,” and that truth plus goodness is “effective but joyless.” I needed to incorporate all three to bring balance to my life—to have knowledge, wonder, and kindness working together. Along with Ganid, I am also charmed with this saying of the Hebrew wise man, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. With all your quest for knowledge, get understanding. Exalt wisdom and she will promote you. She will bring you honor if you will but embrace her.” (133:9.3)
From Zeal to Cheerful Service
The next two years took a different turn. I began volunteering with the Center for Unity, working on group projects that put ideas into action. I shifted from trying to convince people to read the book to living its values through collaboration, creativity, and service. I joined several study groups and took online courses from the Urantia Book International School.
I decided to accept the challenge and “construct a new and appealing philosophy of living out of the enlarged and exquisitely integrated modern concepts of cosmic truth, universe beauty, and divine goodness.” (2:7.10) I defined the Truth–Beauty–Goodness philosophy (truthbeautygoodness.info) as a simple, open way of presenting what I believe is the triad of a healthy spiritual life. Rarely do I mention the book anymore. Instead, I talk about novels, films, or art that highlight truth, beauty, and goodness—trusting the Spirit of Truth to do its work (2:5.10). I never shy away from answering questions about belief in God, the kingdom of heaven, or humanity’s purpose, but the motivation has shifted to attuning my approach to the receiver.
This shift has taught me what Jesus told his apostles plainly: “If you, by truth-coordination, learn to exemplify in your lives this beautiful wholeness of righteousness, your fellow men will then seek after you…” (155:1.5).
If we have to push the message, it is a measure of our failure.
The Lighthearted Spirit of
Adjuster-Led Living
The revelators insist that deep spiritual living is “compatible with a lighthearted and joyous life and with a successful and honorable career” (110:3.4). Religion is not meant to be a burden; it is meant to be inspiration. Living it dynamically transforms us (100:0.1).
When Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), he wasn’t ignoring suffering. He was revealing that cheerfulness is the natural fruit of trust in the Father:
“Future generations shall know also the radiance of our joy, the buoyance of our good will, and the inspiration of our good humor. We proclaim a message of good news which is infectious in its transforming power. Our religion is throbbing with new life and new meanings. Those who accept this teaching are filled with joy and in their hearts are constrained to rejoice evermore. Increasing happiness is always the experience of all who are certain about God.” (159:3.10)
Humor as a Safeguard Against Rigidity
Jesus regretted that his own people “were just about devoid of an appreciation of humor,” noting that “the burdensome religion of the Pharisees could never have had origin among a people with a sense of humor” (156:2.8). What a radical idea! Imagine a sense of humor saving people from the bondage of a legalistic yoke that burdened them for over a hundred years—that is indeed a revelation. Humor is not trivial; it is essential for spiritual balance.
The revelators describe humor as a divine relief, reminding us of “the senselessness of much that so often causes us serious concern, the joy at discovering the unimportance of much of our serious personal anxiety” (48:4.6). This kind of laughter is restorative because it realigns our perspective. When we can “discount the anxieties of the present in favor of the certainties of the future,” we make room for joy—the humor of proportion, the laughter of eternity.
In the morontia life, the Reversion Directors coordinate these moments of cheerful perspective, offering recreation and lightness as essential ingredients of growth. They remind us that joy is not a distraction from progress but one of its sustaining powers.
“When we are tempted to magnify our self-importance, if we stop to contemplate the infinity of the greatness and grandeur of our Makers, our own self-glorification becomes sublimely ridiculous, even verging on the humorous. One of the functions of humor is to help all of us take ourselves less seriously. Humor is the divine antidote for exaltation of ego.” (48:4.15)
If this principle holds true for celestial beings, how much more vital must it be for us on a confused and anxious world like Urantia? Humor is a divine safety valve—a sacred reminder that even in striving for righteousness, we are still children barely learning to walk.
Even so, as the revelators remind us, “You of Urantia… are to be congratulated on a comparatively keen sense of humor” (48:4.13). It’s a gentle cosmic compliment—a reminder that even on our confused and anxious world, laughter still lives close to the divine. Perhaps our very capacity for humor is what keeps us teachable, flexible, and open to joy—the leaven in our DNA.
G.K. Chesterton captured this same truth in Orthodoxy, observing that “solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity.” The pride that pulls us downward is not only moral but emotional—a heaviness of spirit that resists joy. The ability to laugh, especially at ourselves, is an act of spiritual lightness; it defies the gravitational pull of ego.
C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce, envisioned a laughter that feels almost morontial in spirit. When the redeemed souls reach the mountain of Heaven, they laugh with joyous, loving abandon—not the laughter of mockery but of revelation. One radiant spirit exclaims, “That’s what we all find when we reach this country. We’ve all been wrong! That’s the great joke.”
This laughter, full of humility and wonder, stands in direct contrast to the gloom of the gray town—a place of resentment and self-importance, where no one can laugh at themselves because they still cling to being right. Lewis’s imagery harmonizes beautifully with the revelators’ teaching that “one of the functions of humor is to help all of us take ourselves less seriously” (48:4.15).
In both visions, divine humor is born of proportion and grace. It is the moment we finally see ourselves as we truly are—finite but favored, fallible but forgiven. The laughter of Heaven is the release of ego, a sound that restores the universe’s symmetry.
I once saw this safeguard in action while teaching kindergarten and first grade. The first month of school was always about play—setting the tone for a year of delight, balancing parents’ anxieties with the children’s need for joy. My team teacher, Maria, embodied this balance: gentle, creative, present, and wonderfully funny.
One day during journaling time with the students, she burst out laughing. As I approached her and the student she was helping to “catch his words,” she waved me away while wiping tears from her eyes. Later at lunch she told me why. This young man had drawn a big lumpy circle with lines coming out for arms and legs, and obvious eyes and a mouth. Then as she watched, he scribbled all over the face. When she asked him who it was, he said, “That’s you! I love you, Maria.” After a hug, she pointed to the scribbles and asked, “And what’s this? Why did you scribble all over me?” The boy replied proudly, “Those are your wrinkles!” Maria laughed as she shared it with all of us in the breakroom. She said she would photocopy it for her bathroom mirror as a reminder not to take herself too seriously.
The Reversion Directors would surely have approved of Maria’s laughter that day. In helping a child express affection through art, she also helped all of us take ourselves a little less seriously. That is humor as a safeguard—affectionately laughing at ourselves, restoring proportion, and preventing over-seriousness, just as the Reversion Directors teach ascending mortals to find joy and balance through perspective and play.
The revelators also tell us that our loyal midwayers—both primary and secondary—share many of our human traits. These devoted helpers, who bridge the material and morontia worlds, are said to enjoy and even follow our humor as well as our worship. For all they have done for us through the long struggles of planetary rebellion and reconstruction, it is touching to know that our laughter and good humor gives something back to them. Every time we choose humor over heaviness, we are, in a sense, joining them in the universal fellowship of good cheer.
It seems heaven laughs with us—and now, even science confirms why.
Science Catches Up to Spirit
Modern research validates what Jesus and the revelators already taught. The Master’s own life was filled with cheerfulness—he reminded his followers to “be of good cheer” and live without fear, trusting in the Father’s love (John 16:33; 140:6.13). Science now affirms that a spirit of gladness and humor brings tangible renewal to body and mind.1
Clinical studies show that even a few minutes of laughter lowers cortisol—the primary stress hormone—by more than 30%, easing anxiety and building resilience.2
Laughter also strengthens learning and social connection. Neuroscience shows humor reduces tension, opening the mind to creativity and retention.3
Developmental studies reveal that children who laugh and play while learning grasp concepts more quickly and develop stronger empathy—the “theory of mind” that allows us to understand others.4 And socially, people laugh thirty times more often in groups than when alone, confirming humor’s role as “social glue.”5
In other words, heaven has always known it: laughter heals the body, steadies the mind, and joins the soul in fellowship.
Head, Heart, and Hands in Harmony
The truth-coordinated life requires all three:
Head (Truth): Keep learning, recognizing truth wherever it appears. Jesus was quick to recognize truth, wherever it appeared, and ready to embrace it without regard for the apparent source (126:3.8). Truth alone, though, can often feel dry and academic.
Heart (Beauty): Humor, joy, and fellowship harmonize the soul. Beauty restores proportion and makes truth attractive. Without humor, truth grows rigid and stern (156:2.8).
Hands (Goodness): Service with a cheerful spirit is magnetic. Jesus taught that it is not merely what you do, but how you do it—the joy of service grows out of the love of service (171:7.9). True service radiates joy; a sour servant drives people away, but a glad heart draws them in.
This alignment of head, heart, and hands is what the Master called the beautiful wholeness of righteousness (155:1.5). When they are in harmony, faith becomes radiant; when they are not, even the grandest truths fail to inspire.
Perhaps our lament that the revelation has not “caught on” is misplaced. The truth itself is luminous—but if our lives are heavy, joyless, or overly academic, why would anyone seek it out (155:1.5)?
Cheerfulness is not an accessory to religion; it is its evidence. It is the measure of truth lived, beauty integrated, and goodness practiced. To “be of good cheer” is not denial of suffering. It is the confident, lighthearted witness that God’s love is bigger than fear, that humor restores balance (48:4.15), and that joy itself is a form of truth-coordination.
Cheerfulness is not frivolous—it is faith with a smile, the living proof of a truth-coordinated life.
LISA J. CRAWFORD discovered The Urantia Book in 2021 and has since served with UBIS, the Center for Unity, and now Urantia Foundation as Programs Assistant. She works in nonprofit communications, provides elder support through her small business Lady Friday, and writes on the lived philosophy of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. She hopes always to do the Father’s will and to shine a cheerful light in her corner of the world.
Footnotes:
- More of It at Work,” Neuroleadership Institute, accessed September 20, 2025, https://neuroleadership.com/your-brain-at-work/neuroscience-laughter-at-work.
- Ana M. Kramer and Paulo P. Leitão, “Laughter as Medicine: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” Journal of Behavioral Health (2023): 1-12, accessed September 7, 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10204943/.
- Gigi Otálvaro, “Brain Health Benefits of Laughter,” Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, September 2025, accessed September 20, 2025, https://lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu/laughter-health-benefits.
- Patricia Kelikani, “Laughter and Memory: When We Laugh, the Stress Hormone Cortisol Decreases,” Loma Linda University Health, accessed September 10, 2025, https://lluh.org/patients-visitors/health-wellness/live-it/online-health-show/episode-5-laughter-and-memory.
- Natalie Dattilo, “A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?” Harvard Gazette, January 12, 2023, accessed September 6, 2025, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/01/a-laugh-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away.