Friday, June 23, 2017

Have a Good Laugh!


In his book Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Pastor Swindoll lists some amusing laws. He writes, “A San Francisco ordinance forbids the reuse of confetti. In Danville, Pennsylvania, ‘fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires’. In Seattle, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon of more than six feet in length. An Oklahoma law states that a driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in death shall immediately stop and give his name and address to the person struck’. A piece of noise-abatement legislation was passed in the village of Lakefield, Ontario, which permits birds to sing for thirty minutes during the day and fifteen minutes at night.”

   Three of my uncles loved to tease people in a kindly way. I knew when they were ready to try to induce laughter by the way their eyes sparkled.  Sometimes we must laugh at ourselves, like the day when I looked around almost frantically for my glasses only to discover they were on my face. Pastor Swindoll observes that “humor is not making jokes out of life; its recognizing the ones that are there.”

   Rather than focusing on comics, watching “mindless sitcoms” or telling a lot of silly jokes, Pastor Swindoll suggests “a project more significant.” That project is “developing a lighter heart that comes from confidence in the living God, the loving Creator, the sovereign Lord who gave us humor and smiles every time we use His gift.”

   Pastor Swindoll cites these insightful words from Elton Trueblood: “The Christian is joyful, not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate. The humor of the Christian is not a way of denying the tears bur rather affirming something which is deeper than tears.”

   Solomon’s words remind us how important humor is in our lives. In Proverbs l5:l3 we read, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” Two verses later are advised, “All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” In Proverbs l7:22 we read, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

   In the same way healthy food is good medicine for our bodies, humor is good medicine for our souls.

So go ahead, have a good laugh!


By: David Oldfather

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