An Update On Humor
MON., DEC. 10, 1990, 5:33 AM
FARM, STUDY
Your only presentation responsibility this week is one on humor and health, and you haven’t truly begun any preparation for that. It shall not be demanding, but you know some organization is necessary. Naturally I want to help, for you know you will include material from past Teachings and the Ruminations on this theme. So an update seems appropriate, now doesn’t it?
The Biblical term used most often in relation to this aspect of earth life is joy. You sang last evening, yesterday morning, and will repeatedly in this season, Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Oh, there was joy in the earth before My birth as Jesus, but it became more of a spiritual matter with My birth. Humor and fun are natural aspects of the human creation, but when spirit is strong because of relationship with Me this aspect of life becomes more gentle, more pervasive and is more likely to lead to joy.
Joy is the happy, humorous sense that life is worthwhile… and that it is “safe.” It comes from the gentle knowledge that I, the Holy Spirit, am fully functioning in this earth and that spiritual growth can come from any kind of experience. You see, as you know this you perceive life in a lighter, gentler way. Life should be lived in joy, no matter what the circumstances. And this is possible.
You just have remembered the death and burial of your son, Peter, now 14 years ago. In conjunction with today’s theme always remember the account of Marylin’s experience: Peter was smiling broadly, jumping in the air, and exclaiming, “This is great!” His life had not been a great success, and he had much to worry and concern him. Remember that his vision of Me as Jesus was a happy one, inviting him to come down and participate. Remember that you saw him last, smiling as he and Stash jumped and played together.
Science is slowly discovering, and more slowly admitting, that this spirit of joy brings forth positive healing and life abetting substances in the body, while glumness both prevents this and brings forth unhealthy secretions of balances. The more accurate term for this area of investigation is spirituoneuroimmunology, for the spirit is more involved than the mind alone.
I encourage you, again, to think of this season in humorous terms. The Christmas story is, in this perspective, a funny one. You heard a sermon yesterday on Jesus’ genealogy, but the funny aspect is that, at the end, Joseph, the link back to Abraham, was but “an interested bystander” in relation to Jesus’ conception. Recall My humorous rendition of the negotiations for the stable… and the fun of coming to shepherds rather than rabbis… to three foreign kinds rather than My chosen people.
The potential war in the Middle East is both serious and funny. Your nation, the most well-armed in the earth, stands ready to attack or defend, but it is really not clear why. You want to defend the previous status quo, but recently your government worked hard to dislodge a government in Nicaragua… and would like to change the government of Cuba. At the same time you are the supreme debtor nation on earth, with an economic system based firmly on faith. Isn’t that funny? With your bitter foes in previous wars now as staunch allies… political life is humorous.
Alcohol is one of My natural creations that humans discovered. It brings much pain and misery, so why does it remain? Because, more fundamentally, it abets a spirit of fun in people who otherwise would be solemn and sober. It diminishes cares and worries. It brings forth laughter… even joy. The shame is that this religion of Mine doesn’t always do this as well. If people would take My religion “seriously” they would have much more fun in life. Sadly, the Scriptures do not say this directly enough. But, then, that’s part of the fun of being God.
Continue to affirm that I had fun in creation all that is in the natural world, and I even smile as I see humans destroying some of it… for there will be consequences, and I’ll smile at these. If I didn’t have fun I’d close up shop.
Hee Haw
6:34 AM