Thought for Today
Genesis 1:27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'
Luke 6:21 "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Why do we laugh? Why do we feel joy? I’m not questioning the things which make us laugh or which bring us joy. I’m wondering this morning why God included laughter and joy on our palette of emotions. The inclusion of some emotions seems obvious. Fright has evident benefits for the survival of the species. Anger and indignation appear to be almost necessities to allow us to live in communities. But why laughter?
I am not a doctor. I have often heard that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to laugh. True or not, I prefer laughter to crying or being angry. I like to laugh. I enjoy humor. Some people seem to eschew humor and laughter. I do not understand them. I do understand that some humor approaches frivolity. Maybe we should all avoid frivolity; “Frivolity is a type of clownishness or silliness. Frivolity is the opposite of getting down to business in a serious way.” (www.vocabulary.com) Our world seems to have an overabundance of human clownishness and silliness.
Do we laugh because God has a sense of humor? Does God laugh? I sometimes suspect that some of my own thoughts and actions could prompt God to laugh. I know that I am not alone in occasionally doing foolish things, in sometimes ‘biting off more than I can chew.’ It is even remotely possible that I sometimes overestimate my own abilities.
Laughter and joy are not the primary focus of scripture. But, the Bible does reference both. Sometimes it is easy to understand the cause of laughter in the Bible. Sarah found the idea of pregnancy risible ($5 word for laughable) at her advanced age, so she laughed at the suggestion. Jesus reminds us, “Matthew 19:26 . . . For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible."
In the Beatitudes, we are promised that even though we may now weep, we will once again laugh. The Parable of the Talents includes one of my favorite lines in the Bible, “I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'” Although not a primary focus of scripture, laughter and joy seem to me to be fundamental to God’s Creation.
Just as a painter’s palette of colors presents an arc of various shades and hues with which that painter can create the beauty of his painting, our palette of colors offers us an arc, a range of various emotions with which we can ‘color’ our lives. Using color analogies, will we ‘paint’ our lives with the deep reds and scarlets of anger and rage? Will we paint with the deep blues of dispassion, avoiding any emotion? Or, will we paint our lives with the bright yellows and pinks of joy and laughter?
Our religion, our faith presents to us the truth of choice. It is all up to us. I’ve mentioned before that pewter plaque on my dresser, reminding me each day of Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites, “Joshua 24:15 . . . choose this day whom you will serve . . .” The choice is ours.
Many years ago, an advice columnist we used to read stated it a bit differently. That columnist often reminded those seeking advice that each of us, every day, has a choice about how we will greet that day. We can choose to be optimistic, joyful, deciding to greet the day with laughter. Or, we can choose the opposite. We can choose to reject anger, bitterness, depression and defeat. Yes, there are those who have medical conditions affecting their choices. Thankfully, our Creator God has inspired doctors and researchers to find ways to help them. Now even they can make choices. They can accept medical help or reject it.
Think about your choice for today. Which way will you go? I try each day to think about the God who created Creation “ And God saw that it was good.“ I will place my faith in Jesus’ promise that any weeping will be succeeded by laughter. Like Joshua, “24:15 . . . as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Stay safe, look for ways to laugh, trust God,
Pastor Ray