I need to laugh! Do you?
I grew up watching re-runs of “I Love Lucy”. Some of my earliest memories include evenings when I sat in front of our television watching this show. I laughed and laughed. I could turn this post into a list of the comedians and actors who I have enjoyed because they were funny.
I have a friend named, Mike, who is an exceptional storyteller. I can think of numerous lunches and dinners when I laughed and laughed at one of Mike’s stories. Mike not only is a great storyteller but he seems to genuinely enjoy telling these stories.
Some people seem to think that it is more spiritual to be grim faced, stoic, and deadly serious at all times. Yet, Jesus spoke about some people who would strain a gnat out of their soup while a camel had its hoof in their soup (Mt. 23:24). I can see Jesus grin as he used that image. He spoke of attempting to get a speck out of someone’s eye while having a beam rammed into your own eye socket (Mt. 7:3-5). This is a funny image.
Yes, I know that much of life is anything but humorous. There is so much pain and heartache in the world. Quite often, we have a front row seat as we watch our loved ones experience the pain of some kind of brokenness. With such people, we weep and mourn expressing our love to them.
On the other hand, I want to relish moments that invite laughter and joy. There is nothing spiritual about being dour, highly sensitive and easily offended.
So here is a suggestions: Learn to laugh at yourself.
We all make funny mistakes. We do things that are silly. Sometimes, we may be absentminded and do something ridiculous. Again, and again I do these things. Why not laugh at yourself? Genuine self-depricating humor will only endear others to you.
I love this story that my friend tells about a moment in a funeral home that he would probably like to do again. An older man in his congregation had recently died. He was a farmer, who had been married for many years. He was a simple man. He never wore a suit to church or a coat and tie of any kind. He simply wore his overalls.
On the night of the visitation at the funeral home, my friend went to express his support and care to the widow. My friend and this couple had been good friends for many years. At the funeral home, people were coming and going as they hugged the man’s wife and expressed their love.
My friend stepped into the visitation room and together with the widow, walked over to the casket. My friend looked at the old gentleman, dressed in a suit and tie. He then remarked to the widow, “You know, he wouldn’t have been caught dead in a suit.” My friend said that moments after those words left his mouth, it dawned on him what he had just said. For a moment, he froze, cringing with embarrassment. Finally, he looked up only to catch the eyes of this woman. She laughed and laughed! (Much to his relief!) He then laughed with her. Whew!
My friend told this story on himself. We laughed as he told it.
Question:
What does laughter do for you as a person? What happens to you when you are only rarely laughing?