Week Twenty-Six, 2018

LAUGH

By John Grant

“There is a time for everything….. a time to weep and a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Observed annually around the world, is National Let’s Laugh Day. We have all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” This is the day to take your medicine. Some studies have shown that laughter may boost your immune system, relieve tension and help you relax. Who does not need any of those things in our busy and hectic world? Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can. We don’t laugh because we’re happy — we’re happy because we laugh. Laughter can be contagious.

The Gospel of John records that “Jesus wept” (11:35), giving us the shortest verse in the Bible. But did Jesus laugh? I think He did.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh.” But if there is such a thing as humor that is good, and if it is rooted in God’s nature, then some humor must be good, even godly.

We need to overcome the obstacle that depicts Christ and Christianity as completely serious. Jesus had 12 disciples. Get 12 guys together, have them hang out for a while, and they will definitely laugh at something — probably a lot of things.

Jesus was all God and also all man. He had a human nature and it is an inherent human thing to laugh. The very fact that we humans have a sense of humor indicates that God does, too, for we are made in His image. A number of years ago, a friend gave me a framed picture of a sketch that showed Jesus laughing. It gives me a reminder of that laughter.

There has long been a notion that Jesus never laughed. Traditionally, paintings of Jesus have tended toward melancholy portrayals of a somber, glum Savior. It is true that Jesus became our Sin-bearer and that He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Jesus was rejected in His hometown (Mark 6:1–6), He wept at a friend’s graveside (John 11:35), and of course, He experienced the cross. However, this does not mean Jesus never had a lighthearted moment or that He never had occasion to laugh.

Jesus encouraged joyful laughter, most famously in the Beatitudes, recorded in Matthew 5 and Luke 6. Jesus said, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” I believe that He who sits on the throne heaven sits laughingly.

Jesus had a serious mission to accomplish in this world, but He was not one to be somber all the time. There is no verse in the Bible that says, “Jesus laughed,” but we know that He empathized with us completely and felt all of our emotions. Laughter is part of life and our emotions, and Jesus truly lived.

Jesus did indeed laugh. And when appropriate, so should we.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

ESTATE PLANNING:

My buddy, George, was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. He knew that he would inherit a fortune once his sickly father died.

Tom wanted two things:

• to learn how to invest his inheritance and,

• to find a wife to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting, he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. “I may look like just an ordinary man,” he said to her, “but in just a few years, my father will die, and I’ll inherit 20 million dollars.”

Impressed, the woman obtained his business card. Two weeks later, she became his stepmother.

Women are so much better at estate planning than men…

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

“Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.” 2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:10-13‬ ‭MSG‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Wear the cloak of materialism loosely. Bill Bright

Going to church is not optional; it’s necessary. God says we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Billy Graham

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©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618