Whether or not we kick the football

The Peanuts Movie currently in  theaters is a critical and commercial hit, and it brings back to mind the genius of cartoonist Charles Schulz.  I stumbled upon a great quotation from Schulz–a devout Christian–about humor, happiness, grace, and faith.

From Liz Kanoy, quoting Jesse Carey, Does Christianity Make an Appearance in the New Peanuts Film? – Trending Christian Blog.

“Schulz once explained, “’You can’t create humor out of happiness.’ I’m astonished at the number of people who write to me saying, ‘Why can’t you create happy stories for us? Why does Charlie Brown always have to lose? Why can’t you let him kick the football?’ Well, there is nothing funny about the person who gets to kick the football.’’

It was an idea that was closely tied to faith: “Once you accept Jesus, it doesn’t mean that all your problems are automatically solved,” he was quoted as saying.

God’s grace never changes. It doesn’t matter if we ever do kick the football, or if we fall down every time we try. He’s always going to be there.”

See also Carey’s article, How ‘Peanuts’ Took Faith to the Culture,” Relevant Magazine.