Is there enough laughter in your world? This past week the move toward Christmas has signaled the arrival of Salvation Army bell ringers at the doors of Wal-Mart and Kroger. And every one of them dons a smile to go with the word of good cheer. That’s not laughter, but it is just shy of it. By appearance I doubt it would take much to rattle the lungs.
What’s the point? The world is too uptight. We grown about wars a sea away, but we live in a sea of conflict where we are, at home, work, maybe even church. I cast my vote to relax a little, imitate the bell ringers, and smile a lot, a whole lot.
If we are serious about a long and healthy life then we should be a little more serious about being a little less serious. If we want our children to have a happy childhood then we need to give it to them by showing them how to laugh at ourselves, smile in the face of failure, and lift our chins in the wake of disappointment.
We laugh too little! Not in my house! Not in my office! Of course there are times when the call is for a tear, quiet, reverence, but the sanctity of the spirit breaking into a joyful laugh is but a moment away. Does it make us irreverent, immature, or unrealistic? I think it means we are happy!
As Christians we are in the world but not of the world we say. That does not mean we are licensed to hold the posture of frown as if it were the Divine default for the righteous.
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