Humorist Erma Bombeck once said, “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain.”
Chonda Pierce has been tip-toeing that line for a long time. She’s been doing stand-up comedy for 30 years and has received more Gold and Platinum awards than any female comic in history. She has a unique ability to describe life’s most challenging moments all while making you laugh out loud with her humor.
Focus on the Family was privileged to have Chonda as a guest speaker at a chapel service here at the ministry. We recorded it, and I’m pleased to share it with you on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly.
Chonda shares about her little sister, Cheralyn, who came home from high school one day with a sore throat, thinking it was a flu bug. But when doctors ran tests, they found leukemia. Cheralyn died 21 days later.
Then, years later, Chonda’s husband spiraled into alcohol addiction, and his health rapidly declined. She did the best she could to motivate him to seek help, but to no avail. He suffered a stroke while on a walk through the woods on their property and died at age 53.
A lot of people would have become bitter and blamed God, but Chonda learned to soften her pain with humor. I hope you’ll tune in for her message today on your local radio station, online, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or listen on our free phone app. She’ll open the eyes of your heart through humor and help you to see God’s greater purpose and plan for your life.
You probably have stories of loss, brokenness, and heartache similar to Chonda’s, but maybe you’re still in a dark place and haven’t reached a point where laughter is a healing medicine. We have help available for you, too. Please give our counseling line at Focus on the Family a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459). We’d love to hear your story and come alongside you in any way we can.
Chonda’s book Life Is Funny Until It’s Not: A Comic’s Story of Love, Loss, and Lunacy is available for a gift of any amount. Click here for more information.
