Is it Possible to Laugh Too Much?

“Laughter doeth good like a medicine” Proverbs 17:22.  God created laughter.  One favorite quote says, “You were created out of the LAUGHTER of the Trinity.”  God laughs.  And He gave us the gift of laughter—and its healing properties have now been verified by science.  Turns out, laughter actually CAN do good like a medicine. 

But our culture has transformed comedy into a gold mine. We’ve done to laughter what we did to sugar and corn, scientifically refining each into the two most powerful sweeteners in history—and we wonder why we have an obesity crisis.  The quick laugh has become our cultural JUNK FOOD.  While we feed our minds with jokes, gags, and physical comedy, what more nutritious options are we missing?  Television sit-coms, stand-up comedy, and prank videos have transformed the serious, hard-working, somewhat devout nation of the past into a silly, “jokey” culture.  Like a good TV audience, we are always primed for a joke, ready for the quick punch line.  It’s hard to take anything seriously. 

I LOVE COMEDY.  I DO.  But even those with college degrees rarely choose the healthier diet of a book over the endorphin rush of junk food laughs streaming from a TV or phone.  We are missing the deeper, richer, inner life that God intended and many of our ancestors surely experienced.

And sometimes you simply must take things seriously.

“Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!’  But his sons-in-law THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING” Genesis 19:14.

Lot told them to run for their lives, but they laughed at him and died.  What kind of a non-serious, jokey culture did they have in Sodom that two young men would laugh at such a warning?  Perhaps a mocking sense of humor is characteristic of all cultures about to collapse. It was true of ancient Rome, true of Europe’s most hated royals, and it is sadly too common today.

God, never let us joke our way through life, missing the things that matter most.

ΑΩ

El Roi: The God Who Sees. Genesis 16:13-14.

Do you ever feel abandoned, like no one knows what you are going through? Like God is not really paying attention? Do you ever just want to cry out to God, “Hey, are you listening to me? Do you see what I’m going through here?”

GOD SEES. 

Jacob worked seven years to marry Rebecca and was tricked into marrying Leah.  Laban gave him Rebecca a week later, but made him work another seven years. Then Jacob worked six more years tending Laban’s flocks. “For 20 years I have worked in your household… and you have changed my wages 10 times!” Genesis 31:41.  But God saw Jacob’s suffering:

“I HAVE SEEN all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel… get up, leave this land, and return to your native land” Genesis 31:12-13.

What did God say?  “I HAVE SEEN.” God sees it all.  He SEES your hurts, suffering, illnesses. He SEES what people say and your hurt feelings. He SEES your problems and challenges.  He SEES your unfulfilled dreams.  He SEES your unanswered questions.  You do not suffer alone—and you will not suffer forever.

Hagar gained status when she became pregnant by Abraham. But then Sarah drove her into the desert alone, an unwed pregnant woman with no plan, no future, and certainly no status. But God showed up, talked to her about her problems, and sent her back to Abraham.  And Hagar, probably a pagan until then, coined one of the Bible’s names for God, El Roi:

“So she called the Lord who spoke to her, ‘THE GOD WHO SEES,’ … and she named the spring ‘a Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.’” Genesis 16:13-14.

Whatever you are going through—God sees you! 

God, thank you that you are El Roi, the God Who Sees! Remind us that you are with us and you see all our problems and all our needs.  Thank you that you never leave us alone, but you are with us.  You SEE us.  You SEE me. Thank you.

ΑΩ

Abstinence is Weight Lifting for the Soul. Genesis 16:9.

Why abstinence? How can God give young people such strong desires, then expect them not to act on those desires? After all, these are immature kids—most young people are weak and soft and lack the character to abstain from anything. 

Yet God places high expectations on us.  God allows temptations that seem overwhelming (though they are not, see 1 Cor. 10:13), and He tells us to say NO.  Is God crazy?

Change your perspective.  Don’t consider kids or yourself as immature, weak, soft, and lacking in character.  God is building you into a MATURE ADULT, who is STRONG, TOUGH, and filled with CHARACTER and INTEGRITY. 

Think of it this way—parents do not “raise children.”  Parents raise adults.  That boy who is out of control will wake up tomorrow a MAN.  God is preparing him for MANHOOD.

Perhaps the sex drive hits ten years before marriage.  Does God ask young people to abstain for TEN YEARS?  Yes!  Why? Because abstinence in this area builds character that will help those future adults in many other areas. Abstinence is weight lifting for the soul.  One day God will call you to a job—then He may be silent for ten years.  Perhaps you will be tempted to quit for eight of those ten years.  But you pray and God says nothing.  So BY FAITH, you stick with what He said before and you hang in there.  You are strong now, and you ABSTAIN from every job offer that tempts you away from the place God put you. 

Such abstinence actually characterizes the lives of mature believers: you constantly see opportunities or “open doors,” but you pray and God is silent and you realize you must persevere where you are: Keep that job. Stay at that church. Mend that relationship. Work out that marriage. You must ABSTAIN from the temptation to quit. 

When Hagar ran away from Sarai and complained to God, He said, “You must go back  and submit to her mistreatment” Genesis 16:9.  God told her to ABSTAIN, to stay and endure, to “bloom where you’re planted.”  Is He saying the same to you?

ΑΩ

WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ABRAM? Genesis 12:1-3

We don’t know. But look at what He says in Genesis 12—

“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’” Genesis 12:1-3.

Imagine being Abram. You don’t know God. You’re probably a pagan idol worshiper, and he comes to you, forgives you, chooses you, and promises to bless you more than anyone.

“I will make you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great.” These are huge riches to Abe’s culture—the blessing of your descendants is incredibly important, and God promises kings and nations will come from Abram.

“And I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.”—So God will be on Abram’s team, blessing his allies and thwarting his enemies. Isn’t that an amazing promise?

But my favorite may be verse 2: “You will be a blessing.”

That’s what I want—to BE a blessing to others. To bless my wife. To bless my kids. To bless my family and friends. To be a blessing in the office, so good things happen around me, and those who interact with me are the better for it. I want to be a blessing to students, so kids assigned to my classes are better off than those elsewhere. I want to work hard and be kind and forgiving and humble and helpful to others.

And I want the same for you.

Dear God, make us a blessing. Use us in the lives around us. Fill us with the blessing of your Holy Spirit, and use us to bless others. Amen.

ΑΩ

DO YOU BELIEVE GOD? Genesis 15:6

First, God told Abram “Go … to a land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation” Genesis 12:1-2.  Later God spoke a second time: “To your offspring I will give this land” 12:7.   Then He spoke a third time: “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted” 13:16.  Abram continued to worship God, but years ticked by and he remained childless.  Then God spoke a FOURTH TIME:

“‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield and your reward will be great.’ But Abram said, ‘Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless ….’ And the Lord said ‘No, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir. Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able. Your offspring will be that numerous” 15:1-5.

That was the FOURTH time God spoke to Abram.  How did Abram respond?

“Abram believed the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness” 15:6.

Abram believed. God knew his heart and God credited his belief.  But did Abram believe God perfectly?  Apparently not—because it was AFTER this that he took Sarai’s advice and had a child with her slave, Hagar.  

I can relate.  Sometimes I think I believe God perfectly, but then I am tempted to take matters into my own hands.  It is hard to be patient. It is hard to watch the years roll by and dreams go unfulfilled.  And remember how old Abram was?  He was 100 years old when Isaac was born!  100!  Who wouldn’t take matters into their own hands?  You hear the clock ticking. You see the sands slipping through the hourglass.

It is hard.  Sadly, it can even be hard when you have heard the voice of the Lord. But remember: God is not concerned with the timeline.  He is building your CHARACTER and shaping your HEART.

God, give us faith and patience!

ΑΩ

DIGNITY.  Genesis 9:23.

Imagine how a TV sit-com would handle the scene in which Ham found his father Noah passed out drunk and naked…. 

Today’s situation comedies are known for a stock-character called the “Bumbling Dad,” or “Idiot Father.”  Originally designed to mock the “Standard ‘50s Father” from earlier shows, the Bumbling Dad is described as “clever at times, [but] not … smart… He’s lazy, gluttonous, and has glaring vices. His children may love him, but they often don’t respect him…. His wife … spends her time parenting the husband….  [The idea is] that dads shouldn’t be expected to do anything but watch sports and drink beer.”[1]

Children will never learn dignity or respect watching television or the non-stop prank videos on social media.  So much of our entertainment involves mockery and humiliation.  Even seemingly neutral posts, such as videos of funny accidents, like people slipping on the ice, are funny in part because they are embarrassing.  Audiences are laughing WITH them but also AT them.  And I laugh too. I’m not trying to change television or remove FAIL videos from social media. 

But I want children to understand DIGNITY.  Some teasing and being able to laugh at yourself is healthy.  But we should not cruelly mock people we love.  Spouses should not viciously prank each other trying to get rich by posting humiliating videos.  A family should be a place of refuge, a place where children (and adults) feel accepted, supported, and encouraged. 

One key point—siblings should not embarrass each other in front of friends. Every brother and sister can do it.  We all know embarrassing stories about our siblings.  But don’t pick that low-hanging fruit.  Instead, teach children to PROTECT THEIR SIBLING’S DIGNITY.

When Shem and Japheth heard that Noah was passed out drunk, they protected his dignity.

“Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and, walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked” Genesis 9:23.

That is RESPECT.

God, teach us to protect the DIGNITY of those we love.

ΑΩ

[1] https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BumblingDad

GOD’S PROMISES. Genesis 9:13-16.

Do you know God’s promises? Praying is like a lawyer standing before a judge. If you can bring to God his promises, quoting his word back to him, then you are praying as he wants you to pray.  That is when he will answer you and do what he promised.  Forgetting God’s promises hobbles your prayers.  But guess what? God does not forget his promises.

When people think of rainbows, they think of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, an Irish legend.  But what about actual rainbows—for whom is the rainbow a reminder? Is it to remind us of God’s promises, or to remind God of God’s promises?

“Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I WILL REMEMBER MY COVENANT between Me and you, and all the living creatures; water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. The bow will be in the clouds and I WILL LOOK AT IT AND REMEMBER the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth” Genesis 9:13-16.

Isn’t that interesting? When I see rainbows, I always think they are to remind US of God’s promise to never again flood the earth. But actually, the bow is to remind God of his promise.  From now on, when I see a rainbow, I hope I recall that at that moment God is seeing that rainbow and remembering his promise not to flood the earth again.

God, thank you for your promises, for your patience with us, and for rainbows—that remind you (and me) of your mercy and patience when you see our sin. Help us walk with you, talking to you every moment, staying deeply connected to you. Thank you for loving us so much!

ΑΩ

WHEN HUMAN EFFORT MEETS GOD’S MIRACULOUS POWER. Genesis 7:16.

God came to Noah with a terrible word. Imagine if God told you that everyone you know outside your family was going to die?  Churches speak of Noah’s Ark like it was a trip to the petting zoo.  But this was the end of the world. 

Yet, Noah could not dwell on that.  He had a job to do—build a boat 150 yards long.  He had to cover the ship with pitch.  He had to build three interior decks to house the animals.  He built a door large enough for mammoths and giraffes to enter.  God called Noah to a MASSIVE project.  Some estimate it took him 50 to 100 years to build the ark.

“And Noah did everything that God commanded him” Genesis 6:22.

Noah did it all.  “On that same day, Noah along with his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and his three sons’ wives entered the ark with him.  They entered it with all the animals … just as God had commanded.”  7:13-14,16.

And then what? 

“Then the Lord shut them in” 7:16.

What?  Noah worked on this project for 50 to 100 years—his life’s work—and God had to step in at the last second and close and seal the door?  Yes.  And that was the plan all along.  Noah did not fail.  Why is that interesting?  Because your life’s work and my life’s work—our most significant projects—may not be complete without God’s miracle touch.  Make complete plans.  But welcome the miraculous power of God.  Particularly if you are following a calling FROM God.  Why would God call you to something, then have you go off and complete it on your own?  You must work WITH GOD.  You are on His team, and you certainly need Him on yours! 

Don’t obsess over doing it all yourself or your own notions of perfection.  Let God shut and seal the door.  WELCOME THE MIRACLE-WORKING POWER OF GOD!

ΑΩ

EATING: THE ORIGINAL SIN. Genesis 3:17.

Man’s first sin was wrong eating. I might have guessed it would be lying, hate, murder, or something immoral—not a snacking violation. 

I don’t take eating that seriously.  Do you?  But maybe we can learn something.  It begins here: GOD IS THE PROVIDER.

“The young lions roar and seek their food from God….  All [the animals] wait for YOU to give them their food. When You give it to them, they gather it. When You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good things… He causes grass to grow for the livestock, and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food, … wine, … and bread” Psalm 104:21,27-28,14-15.

Have you ever stood feeding dogs, all of them staring excitedly up at you, their hind ends wiggling?  Are dogs ever more focused than when someone is giving them cheese or peanut butter?  Often I look at dogs and I think of worship.  Am I that excited about my Savior? Do I wait on God to provide, or do I take matters into my own hands?

God provided the Garden of Eden with everything! Yet, Adam and Eve took matters into their own hands.  They rejected what God had given them and took what He had NOT given them.  Animals wait on God. LIONS wait for the Lord to provide.  Only humans reject His plan by taking matters into their own hands.

We all do it. What is an adulterous affair, but another Adam or Eve rejecting God’s provision and plucking forbidden fruit?  The same goes for all physical relationships outside of marriage.  God has a spouse in mind for you, but rather than wait on Him, you take matters into your own hands, sometimes over and over.

We do this with friendships, jobs, families, homes, even our goals and dreams.  How many do you know who have given up on what God provided and gone in search of something else, because they were NOT CONTENT?

God punished Adam, saying because you rejected what I provided, from now on the ground (the place of provision) will be cursed, and “You will eat only after painful labor” Genesis 3:17.

God, grant us PATIENCE and CONTENTMENT.

ΑΩ

BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A RIB? Genesis 2:21-24.

I had a childhood argument with the girl next-door. She said girls had more ribs than boys because God had taken one of Adam’s ribs to make Eve, and ever since…  Of course, that’s as silly as her belief that thunder was the sound of God bowling. 

Humans have 24 ribs.  But how many could you lose and remain healthy?

“God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the Lord made the rib … into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said: ‘This one, AT LAST is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.  This one will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from man.’  This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become ONE FLESH” Genesis 2:21-24.

Eve was literally made from Adam’s flesh. And for all future couples, sex makes two people become one. ‘One flesh’ may not be so much about sex as it is about THE RIB. Think of it this way—you are now ONE FLESH just as if she had been created from your rib. 

And you can spare one rib.  But what if you are one flesh with multiple partners? The CDC says men between 25 – 50 report having slept with an average (median) of six partners. Could you spare six ribs?  The BBC says you could survive the loss of six.  But what if you have had more partners?  The CDC reports that 28% of men report having had 15 or more partners.  The loss of 15 ribs is probably a death sentence.  If not immediately, eventually. 

Those who abuse God’s ways suffer physically, mentally, and in every area of their lives. Promiscuity may not rob a man of literal ribs, but it certainly does more harm than good to both his physical health and his mental health.

God, fill us with FEAR, with AWE of YOUR HOLINESS.  May we please You and glorify You in all that we do.

ΑΩ