KNOCK-KNOCK

If you’ve heard one “knock-knock” joke from a child, you’ve heard them all. And to them, every one of those jokes is knock-knock funny. “Mom? Knock-knock.” “Who’s there?” “Banana.” “Banana who?” Adding the well-placed pause, he repeats the joke. Now, “knock-knock,” he’s says for the third time. “Who’s there?” You already know the punch line, but you don’t want to spoil the ending. He continues, “Orange.” “Orange who, honey?” (wait for it) “Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?” I chuckle slightly; my son’s rolling on the couch exploding with laughter.

I use to wonder, “what’s so funny?” But then I realized God gave each and every one of us a special gift – laughter. Laughter brings health to the heart (Proverbs 15:13). And with stress-related illnesses at an all-time high these days, a merry heart is good medicine that’s good for you.

Although not quite amusing or directive, I came to realize something else about laughter. We don’t do it as often as we should. For most of us, we take our lives quite seriously between “the dash.” That’s the reflective timeline between life and death and God gives us the choice on what we do with it. Some people live their whole lives in constant complaint; others choose to live life in fear. Some can’t wait for the day to end while others can’t wait to get things started. Either way, life is meant to be lived. And God wants us to live it to its fullest potential (John 10:10).

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Really? Yes, really! Life was never meant to be lived exclusively in either Candyland or in a Sour Patch. It’s okay to see the joy in the dour, to laugh every once in a while.

Okay, knock-knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you laughing yet?