Lighten Up.

A cheerful heart is good like medicine (Proverbs 17:22)

Jane Austen once wrote, "What do we live for but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn." I was reminded today of just how important a laugh or smile can be in lightening our day. I was visiting an old workplace, when a friend reminded me of a prank that had the entire staff in stitches for days.

Looking back at my own life, I have had more than my share of moments when I amused my neighbors (even when that wasn't my intent). There was the time I quoted from the "American Standard Virgin," of the New Testament, or another occasion when I quoted the great philosopher - Socrates (but I pronounced it So Crates). You would have needed to see the Bill & Ted movies to understand.

There are so many funny occassions in ministry that I thought I would remind you of a few, and maybe you can share a few of your own. There was the time a co-worker was standing in the restroom, holding up his blackberry checking his schedule when another worker came in and said, "That is taking multi-tasking too far."

Or, how many times have ministers forgotten to turn off their cordless microphones during private conversations, or trips to bathroom?

One Sunday night I traveled over 150 miles to preach, only to learn that I was scheduled for the following Sunday (yes, they did let me preach that night).

We all need to lighten up and learn to laugh at ourselves. Someone once told me, "If it will be funny later, then lighten up and let it be funny now." How great is it when we can laugh at our weaknesses and missteps rather than be defensive of them.

So whatever else happens today, try to laugh about it. Turn it over to God, and turn your rainy day into a ray of sunshine for someone else.