Thankful for Laughter

Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction. A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity. He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:19-22 ESV). Humor is an amazing thing. It’s a tension dissolver. It’s an antidote to anxiety. It’s just like a tranquilizer, but without any troublesome side effects. And it’s free! You don’t even need a prescription. Laughter is life’s shock absorber. If you want to have less stress in your life, learn to laugh at your circumstances. Somehow, you must find the fun in the frustrating. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it. Life is full of funny situations. Will Rogers once said, “I don’t know any jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” Speaking of the government… here’s a story for you today: In the year 2014, the Lord came Noah, who was now living in the U.S., and said, “Once again the earth has become wicked and I see the end of all flesh before me. Build another Ark and save two of every living thing along with a few good humans. He gave Noah the blueprints, saying: You have one year to build the Ark before I will start the unending rain that will flood the earth and kill everything not in the Ark.” Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard, but no Ark. The Lord said, “Noah, I’m about to start the rain! Where is the Ark?” Noah began his explanation. “Forgive me, Lord, but things have changed. I needed a building permit. I’ve been arguing with the inspector about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbors claim that I’ve violated the HOA by building the Ark in my yard and exceeding the height limitations. We had to go to the Development Appeal Board for a decision. Then the Department of Transportation demanded a bond be posted for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions, to clear the passage for the Ark’s move to the sea. I told them that the sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it. Getting the wood was another problem. There’s a ban on cutting local trees in order to save the spotted owl. I tried to convince the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls, but no go! When I started gathering the animals, an animal rights group sued me. They insisted that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the accommodations were too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so many animals in a confined space. Then the EPA ruled that I couldn’t build the Ark until they’d conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood. I’m still trying to resolve a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on how many minorities I’m supposed to hire for my building crew. Immigration is checking the status of most of the people who want to work. The trades unions say I can’t use my sons. They insist I have to hire only Union workers with Ark-building experience. To make matters worse, they seized all my assets, claiming I’m trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species. So, forgive me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark.” Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked, “You mean you’re not going to destroy the world?” “No,” said the Lord. “The government beat me to it.” Come on… it’s OK to laugh! Be thankful for our ability to face any circumstance and laugh in the face of our sure victory in Christ!