Laughter: of all the things I miss about having small children in the house, laughter is pretty high on the list. The excitable exuberance, big smiles, dumb jokes told for the 100th time, the tickling and the belly laughter at the table, in the car, wherever… Whenever I was gone for a week as a Youth Pastor, my favorite kid thing was to come home and hear their laughter.
But time marches on, the nest becomes empty, the laughter fades and I live in recovery mode. At first, I didn’t really realize that I missed it. That moment of laughter after a day’s work, broke up the monotony of life. The silliness and acceptance of a child welcoming you back from your day. They don’t know or care about the type of day you had, they live in the moment and for the most part their moments are lighthearted and joy filled. Laughter is great medicine.
This video came out a couple years ago. A young kid working on a math problem finds a joke as the solution! It’s priceless, his facial expression, infectious laughter and to be honest, the way that the mind converts the answer to a joke is super funny!!
Ther are numerous ways to get a laugh, this one is a classic redirect. You have a certain expectation of the way this is going to end. It’s going to end with the addition of numbers, but it gets redirected to the status of one by measuring their bank account!! It reminds me of Buddy the Elf, crossing the street to Macy’s with really perky happy music. The scene is set up for purely good feelings only to end with buddy getting struck by a cab! Needless to say, I don’t mind my humor to reflect a little pain.
I make it a personal goal to find something to laugh about everyday. In my sermons I generally try to find a light-hearted moment. I am by nature a clown, meaning when I find myself in tense situations, I am the one who is like to say something to break up the tension with a little but of humor.
Psalm 126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
We all have a personality profile that makes us unique. I tend to be more serious and focused on change and growth. But 1 Timothy reminds us that God has given us all things richly to enjoy. So take a load off, find a kid to hang out with or watch your favorite comedian or tell some stories with good friends about the funny things of life. Take some good medicine and offer it to others as well.
Truth, Grace, and Time 