Laughing at the Days to Come: Facing Present Trials and Future Uncertainties with Gospel Hope

In Laughing at the Days to Come, Tessa Thompson shares a poignant story of physical suffering and her journey to not only understand God's hand at work in it, but to face the future with laughter. This book is gospel centered and hope-filled. Page after page, the author directs our focus to Christ and his work for us. We all face suffering in this fallen world, but we are not without hope. In Laughing at the Days to Come, readers are equipped to face their own stories of suffering with joy because of our present and future hope in Christ.

Tessa Thompson was fifteen years old when she was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease that took away her hearing and would eventually cause chronic pain and other health complications. Faced with a future of uncertainty, she encountered Proverbs: 31:25: "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." The godly woman of Proverbs 31 had something Tessa lacked- a vision for life that allowed her to laugh at the future. Tessa recognized she needed this laughter in order to endure lifelong suffering in a way that honored God. In this warmly personal account, Tessa insightfully considers what she calls the Christian's "peculiar perspective on suffering" and shows you how the hope of God's Word will enable you to laugh at the days to come even in the midst of tears and suffering. 

192 pages

Contents:

Foreword/Introduction

PART 1 – Laughter: Its Definition

Chapter 1 – Her Trial: He Gives and Takes Away
Chapter 2 – Her Vision: A Woman Who Laughs
Chapter 3 – Her Reality: Living in a Vale of Tears
Chapter 4 – Her Dilemma: A Peculiar Perspective on Suffering

PART 2 – Laughter: Its Doctrine

Chapter 5 – Her Necessity: A Sober-Minded Suffering
Chapter 6 – Her Comfort: God’s Fatherly Sovereignty
Chapter 7 – Her Guide: Christ’s Perfect Example
Chapter 8 – Her Guarantee: The Spirit’s Enduring Preservation

PART 3 – Laughter: Its Doing

Chapter 9 – Her Prayers: The Humble Expectation of a Daughter
Chapter 10 – Her Practice: The Selfless Love of a Sister
Chapter 11 – Her Prospect: The Heavenly Aim of a Pilgrim

Conclusion

“In a world addicted to cheap laughs that demean God and mock sufferers, here’s a unique book on Christian laughter that glorifies God and lifts up sufferers. A book on laughter that will make you cry tears of sympathy, tears of joy, and tears of worship. A remarkable book by a remarkable woman with a remarkable God.”

-  David Murray, professor of Old Testament and practical theology, Puritan Reformed Seminary

"Laughing at the Days to Come is a biblically rich and refreshingly honest look at the realities of suffering and how the gospel empowers us to persevere in strength, courage, truth, and hope. As if she's sitting across from you with a cup of coffee, Tessa shares her personal journey of hearing loss and pain, and the fears that have come with them, and invites you to take a fresh look at how the truth of the gospel empowers us not only to have strength for today but to laugh at the days to come."

-  Sarah Walton, coauthor of Hope When It Hurts

"In Laughing at the Days to Come, Tessa Thompson shares a poignant story of physical suffering and her journey not only to understand God's hand at work in it but to face the future with laughter. This book is gospel centered and hope filled. Page after page, the author directs our focus to Christ and His work for us. We all face suffering in this fallen world, but we are not without hope. In Laughing at the Days to Come, readers are equipped to face their own stories of suffering with joy because of our present and future hope in Christ."

-  Christina Fox, author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope through the Psalms of Lament