“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 9:5-6
I like a good joke and I love to laugh. I love to be silly and to inspire silliness in others. When there are so many dark and ugly things in the world, it often helps to focus on the humorous. Laughter is a great coping mechanism.
That is why I recently found myself making up jokes and sending them to my son, who is in the Marines. He is stuck in a medical platoon with an injury waiting for a medical discharge. He has been there for a year and–as one can imagine–it gets pretty depressing. He was not able to come home for the holidays and while we talked on the phone on Christmas Day, it’s just not the same. So, I tried to cheer him up with these gems…
Me: “What do you call a killer whale that swallows a goat?”
Him: “Stupid cuz it’s not supposed to eat goats.”
Me: Orchid! (get it? Orca & kid?) Orchid! funny! Ha, ha, ha! right?
Me: What do you call a bass that swallows a cell phone?
Him: no idea.
Me: Cell-fish. (get it? Funny! ha, ha, ha!)
Him: Really?
Me: “I saved the best for last… What does Bruce Lee say when he’s thirsty?”
Him: No idea.
Me: “I need a drink of waaaaaaah……..ter!”
So, I imagined my son sitting there in the barracks staring at his phone and thinking his mother isn’t a very good comedian. I mean, I tried, but I guess I should keep my day job.
Two notable comedians passed away recently, and I find myself asking the question, “Where’s the punchline?” When someone dies, a light goes out, and we find ourselves sitting in darkness. In this case, we don’t even have laughter to keep us company.
Boy, this blog got really dark really fast! Geez, Margaret. Tell us something funny. We don’t want to think about ‘you-know-what’. It stinks!
I hear you. I don’t either.
But I’ve also been thinking about Betty White. She was the master of dead-pan innocence. She could keep a straight face with the best of them. I grew up watching her wide-eyed stare on The Golden Girls. Often, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan would struggle to keep their composure. Rose was the heart of that show. Now, they are all dead. Who’s next? Carol Burnett? I know. I shouldn’t have typed that. But as far as I know, the human death ratio is one per person. And those are some pretty depressing stats.
But do you know what doesn’t die? Troll Dolls. For some reason, they keep coming back. Troll dolls are immortal.
Freddie Mercury once sang, “All dead, all dead All the dreams we had. And I wonder why I still live on.” God bless him. He wasn’t much of an optimist.
I miss Freddie Mercury. He could sing the alphabet and I would listen; entranced by his intonations. His untimely death also broke my heart. So how do we respond?
Some would say we should get busy living. We should laugh more. And I agree. Except that so many people are sick and dying around us that I’m still struggling to find the punchline. Even sarcasm and cynicism are little deaths. There is a tinge of pain in the brutal reality of having to bear with things that don’t die but should. Disco. Pleather pants. 80’s smooth jazz. Fad diets. But–I think the crux of what I’m getting at is this: in some shape or fashion, we are all afraid to die. But to deal with it, we all just kind of pretend it’s not going to happen. Then, when it does, we are forced to deal with that gut-wrenching reality. And frankly, it’s crippling.
Peace with God is the only way to eliminate the fear of death. And we can find peace by confessing our sin and crying out to Jesus for mercy. His grace will find us no matter where we are–no matter what we are doing–no matter what we have done. And I have to say, living without the fear of death gives me great joy. That is why I set my mind on the things of the spirit. The Spirit is life and peace.
Today, if you are struggling to find the punchline, don’t lose heart. Jesus has conquered the grave! And one day we will be with Him in paradise. He promised. And He never breaks His promise.
Beautiful!