Much to my mother’s chagrin, who hoped for something much better out of her eldest son, I was voted the class clown by peers in high school. And I’ve never quit.
When I’m in a tough spot, a light joke helps lighten the mood. When things are tense at work, they look to me to find the levity. When the family is in uproar, a simple quip can douse the flames.
If you know me only by the words on this page, you might think I’m a somber man, writing thes
e weighty tomes. Looking back at the hundreds of posts in this blog, I sometimes gasp at the tone. That’s one serious dude!
But spend a half an hour with me and you’ll see that I’m a joker, maybe even a jester at time.
Laughter is a universal language. Go to a foreign country, where words cannot be understood, but a smile and a belly-chortle can break down any barrier. Laughter is rare when you are alone. It’s a community activity that builds relationships.
That’s Not Funny
But what I laugh at is a reflection of the soul and my character.When I laugh at a quip or a witty retort, it’s good for the soul. But when I laugh at someone’s else expense or their shortcomings, at a sexual innundo or a crude observation, it digs away at my heart.
The snide, rude and the obscene have no place in my life. And when I do laugh at those things, I never really feel good about it.
Is it me? Modern comedians really aren’t that funny, relying on the shock value, the crudeness, or the insensitive for a cheap laugh. I cannot love the dark side of a world where I don’t belong.
Because Satan has misused what God intended for good, we tend to overreact with legalism. “Be sober and grave” we preach with all Scriptual authority.
But that’s not what God intended. After all, “A merry heart is good Medicine”
He gave us the ability to let it loose. He gave us mirth and joy and fun.
Somehow I think that Heaven will a place of great laughter.
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