LOOKING FOR REASONS TO LAUGH- GOODMORNING

by Dr. Rubel Shelly
Some days it’s hard to get out of bed — much less laugh. But haven’t you noticed how much better a day goes when laughter is scattered through it?

You know it’s going to be a bad day when…

–Your knees buckle but your belt won’t.
–You sink your teeth into a steak and they stay here.
–You sit down in a rocking chair and can’t make it go.
–You dim the lights for economic rather than romantic reasons.

Does your image of a holy person include a smiling face? Giggling? Belly laughter? Or is a saint someone with a stern face? Did you ever notice how many times the Psalms exhort God’s people to “rejoice in the Lord”? The Bible even says: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov. 17:22).

God must have a sense of humor. Did you ever look closely at a giraffe, anteater, or duck-billed platypus? And what about a zebra? Now there’s a good case of God’s ability to do something just for the sheer fun of it.

One of the most refreshing things in human experience is a deep belly laugh. Nothing relieves stress so quickly and completely. If you have children or grandchildren, I guarantee that fifteen minutes in the floor with one of them tonight will do more to invigorate you from the day’s tensions than whining or having a stiff drink. If you don’t have children, just act silly with someone you care about for a quarter hour. It’ll do you so much good that you’ll want to make it a habit.

I once heard a fellow lament that most of the Christians he knew had faces as long as mules’ faces and looked like they had just bitten into green persimmons. What a poor recommendation of faith to unbelievers! What a miserable misrepresentation of the God who, we say, gives meaning to our lives. Without joy, what’s the meaning?

There’s a serious side to humor, all right. What you laugh at tells a lot about your character and self-image. But laughter itself shouldn’t be suspect as a waste or distraction. God shines through when people laugh.

So let’s try to lighten up a bit this week. Devote some energy to learning to see your life’s comedic twists and turns — even on the rottenest of days. Not one of us is going to get out of it alive anyway.