Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Proverb 21:9
You might be scratching your head with the verse today. What does a marital fight have to do with praising God? Well, the fight itself doesn’t. But God’s view of it does. The book of Proverbs has some pretty funny sayings that in their humor make a point.
The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!” Proverb 22:13
Picture the lesson above. The lazy person makes all kinds of crazy excuses for not taking care of business. And God turns the lesson into a humorous extreme to which we can all relate.
Praise God that He has a sense of humor! I think so often people view religion and God as a super serious path we are to embark. And yes, our ultimate salvation is pretty serious. But a dour, colorless, and humorless life is not the example of God. How can it be when God created the penguin?
A few years ago, when I was deep in the work of obeying God, I got to experience His sense of humor. He had called me to serve the homeless in our downtown through providing about 100 lunches each week. The test He presented to me required my complete submission and trust. Submission in that I would do whatever He asked. And trust in that He would not only show me the way but also provide the resources.
And so began my communication with God through signs. No, not “signs,” actual signage like billboards, grocery store signs, small and inconsequential street signs. Each time I prayed for direction, I kid you not, within that day I would drive by a sign that told me exactly what to do. I started looking forward to how He would talk to me and the strange places I might hear Him. It became my daily, out loud guffaw as I would drive by a billboard and look up to say “sounds great!” It was our own set of inside jokes.
I certainly grasp the awesomeness and majesty of God. It’s why I decided last year to do the first 30 Days of Praise. But we need to remember all the faces God presents to us. All the ways He loves to communicate with us. And all the ways He wants us to enjoy His world. And if you aren’t joining with God for a daily moment of laughter you are missing out.
God’s love for us allows us to laugh at ourselves because of our imperfections. If we joined in on that laughter a bit more, we just might gather a few more to His Kingdom.
emboldened.net 