WORDS FROM W.W. July 19, 2014
I brought a clean coffee cup with me today to drink some java with Jesus. I have a heavy population of coffee cups in my life. Today’s mug-of-the-day features a Far Side cartoon on the outside that reminds me of the funnier side of life.
“I like your coffee mug,” Jesus says as we sit down.
‘It’s a Far Side cartoon!”
“Yes…I can see that!”
“And you like it?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because Far Sides can sometimes be a little…what’s the word…borderline irreverent.”
“That’s two words, and I usually laugh out loud at Far Sides, or, what’s the term? LOL!”
“OMG! Jesus using social media terms!”
“Excuse me, Billy Dean! But people take themselves too seriously too often. Perhaps there needs to be more LOL moments in people’s lives. The last time we chatted we talked about what makes your soul sing. My guess is that laughter is music for your soul.”
“Yes, usually! Not laughter at the expense of someone else, but laughter that comes out of life moments.”
“Far Side moments, so to speak.”
“Exactly! Moments that give me a glimpse that I’m still child-like.”
“Being reminded that you are a child of God.”
“I don’t want to say I’m totally sure on this one, but I’d like to think God has a sense of humor.”
“Why would you think he doesn’t?”
“Because he’s God!”
“He created aardvarks, didn’t he?”
“Good point.”
“…and prune juice!”
“Another good point. But prune juice is good for you.”
“But prune juice is disgusting…even to me.”
“But it shows that God has a sense of humor?”
“Hey, there’s a lot of jokes related to prune juice.”
“As long as you’re not the one drinking it!” I look down at my coffee mixture. I would never have thought that I’d be talking to Jesus about Far Side cartoons and prune juice.
“Remember when I asked that question back a few cups of coffee ago…how is it with your soul?” I give a nod of recognition. “A soul that echoes that it is well is a soul that allows itself to laugh.”
“Let me understand this a little bit, because you’re not necessarily talking about an audible chuckle or uncontrollable laughter.”
“Sometimes they emerge in those ways, but I’m talking about when you allow the presence of the Holy to delight you. Does that ever happen?”
“To use an analogy, kind of like when a Far Side cartoon grabs you for a moment. It’s a brief experience in…surprise.”
“Ahhh…surprise! That’s an interesting word to use to describe it. There was a book written a number of years ago entitled Surprised By Joy.”
“C.S. Lewis.”
“Yes. It seems that our conversation has brought us back a ways to some of the experiences of his life.”
“It’s quicker to summarize a far Side cartoon than a book, Jesus.”
“Perhaps the laughter of the soul is not so much about quickness as it is about contemplation.”
“Kind of like a cup of coffee, not to be gulped, but rather sipped.”
“Or a fine glass of water that’s been turned into wine!”
“As opposed to a glass of prune juice that you want to get down as quickly as possible.”
“A disturbing image for the mind, Bill!”
TO BE CONTINUED
Words from WW Blog 