Love and Laughter

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 niv

We went to a Mark Lowry concert Saturday evening. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I enjoyed the sounds of laughter echoing through the gigantic church auditorium.

Mark started the concert by asking which denominations were represented. From Catholic to Charismatic, almost any church you could think of had a group in attendance. He then proceeded to tell some jokes highlighting the differences between denominations in what I considered a good-natured and harmless fashion.

In the midst of all the laughter, I heard one older woman complaining. She said, “We’ll all need to go to the altar in the morning.”

I couldn’t believe it. Since I’d rather focus on relationship with God than religion, I found the jokes particularly funny. I tend to think Jesus might have found them humorous, too. After all, when He lived on earth, He rebuked the ‘religious’ many times, choosing to establish loving relationships with people.

On a trip to Gatlinburg two years ago, I saw a painting of Jesus. He had his head thrown back in laughter. It’s my favorite way of picturing Jesus. Children were drawn to Jesus. What type of person do children like? Certainly not someone with a sour expression and a judgmental attitude.

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” I’d like to think some healing occurred in the Church Saturday night.

I know God has a sense of humor. As Mark says, “I’ve looked in the mirror.” Have you?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of laughter and a merry heart, for all good things come from You alone. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.