Day 111 Too Serious

April 26, 2015
Day 111


"You go really deep but just as quick you laugh really hard."

These were words spoken to me from a man who worked on submarines in the military. Oh, the irony. I met him at the University of Rhode Island's fellowship, Chi Alpha. I do forget his name but I will never forget his high compliment. These words spoke life into my very being. I love to laugh and I love to talk of deep and substantial matters.

I was raised on laughter, deep belly laughter. To me life is one big opportunity to laugh hard and well. Sometimes life is really funny, sometimes it is not so. But I can always find something to laugh at and I do not even need others to join me. In fact there have been times when the absence of other's laughter makes me laugh even harder!

My dad and I can go on for a while about many funny things and some that did not seem so at the time. One day he decided to dry his hair with a blow dryer in my bedroom. My dad is meticulous about his hair. Other men would let it dry. Not Bob. This is serious stuff. His hair needs attention, or so he thinks. Honestly, the style has never changed. He could do it in his sleep, in a coma for that matter! There may be earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes but since I was a baby there is one thing constant in my life and that is my dad's hair style.

So, he is drying his hair in my room, I came home from college, I did not know he was in my room and I walked in. And there he is in all his glory.  He is standing naked in front of my mirror drying his hair. I slammed the door as he yells his favorite Baptist cuss word, "JUDAS PRIEST!" I am stunned. He is stunned. I am shocked, and disoriented for a millisecond and regretful that I had not knocked. But entering my room before had never required a knock.

I just had one question, "When were you going to notify me of my room change, Bob? I clearly did not get the memo!" So unfortunate.

This stunned millisecond of a moment has turned into hours, months and years of laughter.  One mention of that moment and we are belly laughing. He's a lucky man I laughed rather than sought counseling.

Laughter is life and speaking of deeper things brings just as much life to me. I love to speak of what I am seeing in scripture, deep thoughts about life, my personal philosophies I have developed over the years, and others' philosophies, etc. etc. Moving from laughter to deep thoughts takes me seconds.

I can sniff out serious dudes and dudettes in a minute. Sometimes, I sniff it in myself and have a little conference with 'said' self!
"Quit it! Lynne. You're way smarter than thinking you have it figured out. Ya don't. Move on!"

The serious ministry types scare me the most. These are the ones who want to be used in their "known" gifting and speak about it forever and a day. To try to get them out of that state of mind is not something I have ever been able to figure out! Never really tried hard either. They just don't laugh enough.

God has a fabulous sense of humor and He makes me laugh often. I love this about Him. And yet God is really serious! He did not think my sin funny.  He paid a terrible price to get me out of the kingdom of darkness, the no humor kingdom. His death gave me life and His love grounds me with confidence to laugh at myself.