The Richness of Laughter

If I were to ask you what our church needs more than anything else, how would you answer? Certainly our church could benefit from many things, but perhaps what we are so often missing is the one thing that should be most present in the lives of God’s people…JOY! The writer of Proverbs described the benefits of a “merry heart” as being a wonderful countenance, a continual feast, and good medicine. Since most of us have spent such a large portion of our income this year on beauty products, food, and healthcare, perhaps we could lighten our load by discovering Scripture’s remedy for a heavy heart.

In his book, The Finishing Touch, Charles Swindoll writes the following.

How is your sense of humor? Are the times in which we live beginning to be reflected in your attitude, your face, your outlook? Solomon (under the Holy Spirit’s direction) says three things will occur when we have lost our sense of humor: a broken spirit, a lack of inner healing, and dried-up bones (Proverbs 15:13, 15; 17:22).

By a sense of humor I am not referring to distasteful or vulgar jesting, nor to foolish and silly talk that is ill-timed, offensive, and tactless. I mean that necessary ingredient of wit: those humorous, enjoyable, and delightful expressions or thoughts that lift our spirits and lighten our day. When we lose our ability to laugh—I mean really laugh—life’s oppressive assaults confine us to the dark dungeon of defeat.

Humor is not a sin. It is a God-given escape hatch, a safety valve. Being able to see the lighter side of life is a rare, vital virtue. Personally, I think a healthy sense of humor is determined by at least four abilities: 1) The ability to laugh at our own mistakes. 2) The ability to accept justified criticism—and get over it! 3) The ability to interject (or at least enjoy) wholesome humor when surrounded by a tense, heated situation. 4) The ability to control those statements that would be unfit—even though they may be funny.

James M. Gray and William Houghton were two great, godly men of the Word. Dr. Houghton writes of an occasion when he and Dr. Gray were praying together. Dr. Gray, though getting up in years, was still interested in being an effective witness and expositor. He concluded his prayer by saying: “And, Lord, keep me cheerful. Keep me from becoming a cranky, old man!”

You and I should have the same prayer.

On that note I will share with you a story that made me laugh this week. If you are having a rough morning, maybe it will lighten your heart as well.

Johnnie’s mother looked out the window and notice him “playing church” with their cat.

He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing. She ran back to see Johnnie baptizing the cat in a tub of water.

She called out, “Johnnie, stop that! The cat is afraid of water.”

Johnnie looked up at her and said, “He should have thought about that before he joined my church.”

Learning to laugh,

Jason