An Update On Fun And Humor

FRI., AUG. 23, 1985, 6:39 AM
FARM, STUDY

An opportunity for you to preach a unique and important message lies just ahead. You shall be ready, and I shall be with you. You know basically what the message is, but an update certainly can do no harm. Hear some thoughts about this aspect of human/spiritual interaction.

One basic premise is that fun is the necessary balance to sadness and despair. In such a spiritual balance one does not negate the reality of the other, but, instead, one assures the reality of the other. The fact that there is genuine sadness… true despair… cruelty… inhumanity expresses in various ways… just guarantees that there is a spirit of fun… a sense of humor… a time for jokes and laughter. Each life needs such a balance, even as all balances are not exactly the same. And each life is a kind of reflection of ultimate reality, where the experience is not so much nothingness as perfect balance.

As I have told you repeatedly a true sense of humor and fun comes from the spirit of a person. You did not emphasize this in other of your holistic presentations this week, and you must correct this imbalance next time around. If I, the Holy Spirit, did not have this “sense” as a part of My perfect being, then you could not have it either, for each individual spirit is an offshoot of Me, and has the potential for exhibiting spirit like unto Mine.

Yes, I do have fun as I am around in and influencing this world. Each incident in which the world functions imperfectly has the potential for tears and laughter. Any incident in which one person benefits and, therefore, smiles can also be one in which another is hurt, and cries in that hurt. This is true in the “Bible story” of My relationship with the Jewish people and of My coming as Jesus, the Christ. Many parts of that story can be interpreted as funny… as well as serious. The story of My relationship began, truly, with Abraham. Isn’t it funny that I selected a hundred year old man, with a ninety year old wife to be the natural parents of the lineage that would produce this chosen people. Sarah laughed, and she certainly should have felt the humor in that ridiculous situation.

The story is usually told with utter seriousness, but that’s only one way to tell it. Yes, I selected David to be the foremost king of this people. I knew of his tendencies toward excess, and when he danced and pranced and sang to Me I was pleased… and truly amused by the discomfort that some others felt when their king served the Lord in this boisterous way. I did enjoy that part of the story.

Much of humor has its base in tragedy, mishap, or mistake. Look at cartoons, jokes, and funny stories… the ones that should be rejected just go too far in picturing misery or degradation, while the truly funny ones have the right balance. There would be very few funny stories, in any form, if it were not acceptable to show weakness, error, and clashes of personality. Exaggeration is important to humor, and My servant Elton was right in emphasizing that I, as Jesus, used exaggeration in some of My teaching. For someone to say, “Oh, come on, Jesus… really?”, would have been (and is) appropriate. Then We can both smile.