Grace found in humour
The discussion in the senior citizen’s complex was hot and heavy. It had to do with rules and regulations related to the pandemic.
One of the members spoke up and said, “I’ll be glad when the pandemic is over so my wife no longer needs to sleep on the floor!” With the laughter that followed the tension was broken and the meeting soon ended.
In those days little girls wore dresses. She was running down the sidewalk when she fell and skinned her knee. When I ran to pick her up the tears were running down her cheeks and she was laughing. When I said, “why are you laughing, doesn’t it hurt?, she replied, “If I wasn’t laughing I’d be crying!”
As a pastor I would make home visits to the elderly and shut ins.
When I made a call on a lady who was grieving the loss of her husband the tears would flow, I would express my sympathy.
On a visit or two after the same initial visit the tears would once again come of her loss.
Thinking that I was of no help in giving her comfort I told several humorous stories and the tears turned to laughter. From then on everything changed.
My last church service of the day took place in a country school house.
Adults would squeeze into the small desks and would not stand till the service was over. I brought with me a new joke each week. It was always told at the beginning of the service as a sort of ice breaker.
One Sunday it was obvious that the giggles of one man carried on through the service. From then on they were given at the end of the service.
When I was a child they were called “the funny papers”. Later on they would be called “the comics.”
We would quarrel over those who got them first. Even today I still look forward to reading them.
While I read the world news first in the Medicine Hat News, it is the comics that maintain my sanity day after day.
I marvel how the authors and creators can come up with something funny on a daily basis. After a good laugh I am ready to pick up for the rest of the day.
There is a lot of grace to be found in humour. It can help us in our down times. It can help us not to take ourselves too seriously. It can pick us up when we are down. It is a gift of God to be cherished.