A Time to Laugh

When circumstances are beyond our control, we have a choice of responses. One of my favorite responses is laughter. As I was being introduced as the preacher for a recent revival meeting, the pastor got his words confused and introduced me as “Dr. Revival who is here to preach for us.” I was not sure how many people caught the mistake until afterwards when it became the subject of discussion at a post-service meal. Still, when it was mentioned, everyone looked at me to see how I would respond. I could have showed anger, frustration, irritability, etc. However, I simply passed off the mistake by laughing and saying, “Lord, may it ever be so.” In difficult circumstances, Paul encouraged the Christians at Philippi to, “Rejoice in the Lord” and as if they may have misunderstood, he repeated. “Again, I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4). How will you respond the circumstances of this week? Understanding that there are some circumstances where humor is not appropriate, may I nevertheless, recommend laughter as a possibility.

Join me in remembering the following global prayer concerns:
• Pray for missionaries to stay healthy and protected from the H1N1 flu outbreak in many places of the world, especially, the Ukraine.
• Pray for missionaries needing to renew visas in order to remain in Croatia.
• Give thanks that Mary, from Russia, has finally found a stateside prayer coordinator.
• Eric and Tricia, missionaries in Thailand, announce the expected arrival of their firstborn. Pray for safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.
• Pray for Chris as he leads the Christian Writer’s Workshop in Spain this week.