Why is it that so many people think Christians don’t have a sense of humor? It might be because we probably don’t laugh at raunchy jokes. That’s not because we’re too serious to laugh, it’s because we think that humor doesn’t have to be filthy to be good.
A lot of comedians think if their humor isn’t laced with a bunch of “F” words, no one will laugh, so they oblige. That means if you want to watch them on TV, you must subscribe to one of the premium channels, since they’re not normally shown on the other channels. (There would be so much bleeping you’d miss the punch line.) If the topic of conversation turns to one of those comedians, I normally respond with “Who?” We have those channels, and I’m willing to spend extra money every month so I can watch the latest animated movie, but I ignore most of the other shows. If I want to hear a bunch of cuss words, I can get that for free, just by going to the docks, or a construction site.
Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor, and likes to see us laugh. Have you ever seen a camel? There’s a saying that a camel is a horse put together by a committee. I personally think God just wanted us to have something to look at that would make us smile. If that isn’t enough, this strange looking animal is a wonder of construction. Yes, they do spit on you if they’re not happy, but they’re remarkable. Look at all the water they can hold. They go for days without needing a bottle of Ozarka, but why do you suppose He made some with one hump and some with two? What’s up with that? I’ve never been curious enough to research why, but the two-humped ones make me smile.
There are so many things God put here that appear to be strictly for our amusement. Picture this. The sun already set, and you’re sitting outside with your children, enjoying the evening in the yard. All around you are fireflies. Do you really think the kids are just sitting still? You know better. They’re running all over the yard, normally with a jar in their hand, trying to catch one of the lightning bugs. If God didn’t want us to have things to make us smile, then why did he make fireflies? In fact, I’m not sure they serve any purpose other than to make kids giggle, or to use as a battery-free flashlight.
Then there’s the whole frog thing. They’re extremely strange looking, and they hop out of unusual places. Having spent a considerable amount of time trudging through some river going frog gigging with my dad, I know they serve a useful purpose. Dinner. But they’re comical, if you’re not actually hunting them down to eat. I tried not to get too personally involved with them as a child, because I knew they’d end up fried. Since I don’t go gigging anymore, I know how funny they can be.
We had an automatic watering system for our dog, Sugar, which we used in addition to her water bucket. Dogs need lots of water, and I guess frogs do, too. I’d be standing in the kitchen, and I’d hear water running. After tracking down the hubby to see if he was watering something, and finding he wasn’t, we had to check all water sources to see where the noise was coming from. I probably overreact to unexpected water-running sounds, but having had way too many broken washer, toilet, or sink hoses, I won’t give up until I find it. Mushy carpeting isn’t high on the list of things I like. Having just gone through a dishwasher-breaking episode, and living with air movers for WAY too long, I’m positive mushy carpet isn’t even on the list.
Eventually, after checking all the obvious sources, I’d look out the kitchen window. Sure enough, on the patio was water. Lots of water, uncontrollably spilling out of Sugar’s water dish. Ed, being the automatic water-dish expert, had to take it apart. Yep, you guessed it. A frog managed to wedge himself under the float, and couldn’t get out, which meant the water just kept running because it thought the bowl was empty.
One time, Ed got the frog out and within an hour, I was hearing the noise again. He got the “How come you didn’t take care of that stupid frog” lecture. He took the frog to the side yard, well away from the water dish. The next day, the frog was in the water bucket in the side yard. We left him alone. Another adopted pet.
Seriously, you gotta love frogs! Especially Kermit. He’s funny, and he dates a pig! You can’t look at Kermit and not smile. Okay, I’m not an idiot; I know God didn’t make Kermit, but he’s based on a real frog, so it counts. It’s that six degrees of separation thing.
There are a million things every day that make me smile. Cats that wait at the front door for me to get home. White, fluffy clouds that look like teddy bears lying on their backs. Babies that gurgle when they laugh. A flower that grows between the cracks of a sidewalk. Cops that ticket you when they think your window tint is too dark. No, wait! Scratch that last one, although Genny and I laughed. Simon? Not so much.
I’m not sure a lot of people think God has a sense of humor. If you read the Bible, you definitely get the impression he doesn’t laugh much, especially if your reading is limited to the Old Testament. There’s not a whole lot of funny stuff in there, although I can only imagine the looks on their faces when Moses parted the Red Sea. I’m thinking that would probably have been worth a good belly laugh.
But, if God doesn’t think happiness is important, then why did Jesus turn water into wine? Why did he insist little children be brought to him? It’s hard not to smile at a child. I also imagine when Jesus was a child, he chased lightning bugs in the yard. What child doesn’t?
That’s the part of Father I like the most. His sense of humor. The knowing that it’s not all Hell and Damnation with Him; God cares as much, if not more, about our happiness than we do. If not, then why did he make camels? Or zebras? Or rainbows? He made them so that when life gets too much, we have a frog show up and create a little havoc. Just to let us know that God likes to laugh, too. You just know He was chuckling when that frog got back into the water dish. Ed wasn’t, but God and I were!