Keys to the Kingdom

I recently made a trip to Anderson, Missouri to attend a ladies’ meeting at the Banner Church. I had volunteered to help Charlene, her mother, and her aunt with the setup for the evening gathering. When we brought stuff into the Life Center, we must have left the outside double doors open too long. After working a while, someone said, “There’s a squirrel!” He scurried around for a few seconds and then dashed into an adjoining classroom. I swiftly closed the doors to the room in order to contain him while Charlene found and told her husband/pastor that a squirrel was running loose in the church. Dennis nonchalantly came downstairs and quickly formulated a simple plan. We would open the outside double doors, arm three of us with push brooms, and then open the classroom doors so the squirrel could easily exit the building.

Prior to opening the squirrel’s door, Charlene felt it was important to remind us that squirrels can run up your britches leg. Dennis opened the door and the squirrel made a run for it; but it was in the wrong direction. He headed straight for me. That squirrel went totally berserk, jumped over my broom and darted up the stairs, banged his head into the glass door and zoomed back down the stairs. Someone was yelling, “Get it, get it!” as I sprinted up the stairs and opened the glass door. That half-crazed squirrel ran around the tables at breakneck speed, darted back up the stairs and burst through the open door. You might think this is just a wild tale from Ray Stevens’ hit song, but I can prove it happened because every bit of it was recorded on the surveillance camera!

I come from a long line of laughing people on both sides of my family, so I have a natural inclination to see humor in things most people don’t notice. Whenever someone told my Mom a comical real-life story and got to the punch line, she’d cackle like a chicken laying an egg. Laughing is good for our health and God makes that clear in His Word. “A merry heart does good, like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones” (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV). A joyful heart will brighten and strengthen your day. The Bible has examples of people who laughed — even God laughs. “And Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me’” (Genesis 21:6 NKJV). Abraham and Sarah named their son “Isaac” which means “He (God) Laughs.” Abraham fell on his face and laughed (see Genesis 17:17).

“We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy” (Psalm 126:2 NLT). What’s on the inside shows on the outside. As kids, we sang: If you’re happy and you know it then your face will surely show it, if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands (or stomp your feet). I once heard a preacher say that some Christians look like they’ve been baptized in dill pickle juice. In the Old Testament, we find that there’s a time for laughing. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to cry and a time to laugh…“ (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 NLT). Believers should take our laughter medicine every day. Studies show that 30-second belly laughs are good for your immune system. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is let loose and laugh.

My Mom used to say, “You might as well laugh as cry.” I’ve found that to be pretty good advice. I actually laugh and cry all at the same time when something is extremely funny.

The Key: Go ahead and laugh like a hyena or, at least, grin like an opossum.