Humor
Are there things in your past that still have you bound in mind and spirit? God says we become new creatures. This is true but you are the one who has to release the old man. Jesus gives the power. Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Luke 4:18 fulfills that prophesy when Jesus began his ministry here on earth. Luke 21 “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
If you hang on to those bad things in your past, you will barely get off the ground. If you let the Holy Spirit work on you as you are ready, you will be “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruits in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)
When I was first saved, a preacher said that when he got saved he quit the sin business. Oh, boy! Did I feel guilty! I failed many times. It was years later when I found out he did not practice what he preached. This was my first experience with the fact that all “preachers” don’t always preach the truth. If we had quit the sin business as he said, we wouldn’t have need of many of the scriptures that tell us what to do when we do sin. Jesus wouldn’t be needed as our mediator. How easy that would be. We wouldn’t have any battles to fight. We could just drift along pleasantly.
I’ve come a long way since those days. I have bruised knees from tripping and falling often. Jesus came along, dusted me off, took me by the hand and led me along the right path as though nothing ever happened. He kept a close watch on this little lamb that strayed from the flock many times. He never withheld his love from me.
Yesterday I learned a simple truth about God’s love and also His sense of humor from a silly incident. James 5:16 says: “Confess your faults one to another, pray one for another that you may be healed.” I did just that and to a friend I trusted. My big fault is that I am a procrastinator, especially where housework is concerned. I developed this trait from the fact that in my early childhood, no matter what chore I did, it was never good enough as far as my Mother and Dad were concerned. I got out of as much work as I could possibly get away with. Even to hiding when I knew a job had to be done. My theory was if I couldn’t do it right, why do it at all.
My Dad was a perfectionist and passed that on to me. I expected more of me than what I was able to perform, knowing I would fail. Then my Dad could say he was right. I married a man just like him. Nothing suited him so why bother. That mind-set hung on all through my life. I was afraid to attempt anything new, especially when I was under the scrutiny of others, the nitpickers. Many things I refused to help with because I knew someone would make the remark that it wasn’t done right. I did not like being yelled at all the time.
When I confessed this fault to my friend, my eyes were opened. I am 72 years old, going on 3. I don’t have to please any one but myself and God. If I like to live with things not done, it’s nobody’s concern but my own. But I lied. I don’t like it. I feel so much better when I get an urge to make my home more presentable. It takes me longer to decide than to actually do the work. On rare occasions I find I can get so much done in just 15 minutes. Each chore separately isn’t that hard---some are worse than others. But when they are all piled up and I become confused to know which one to tackle first is where the problem comes in.
Are you like I am? You believe you can’t do anything right so you may throw your hands up and do nothing at all. Do one day at a time; one thing at a time. Don’t feel like it’s the end of the world if you don’t get it all done at once. Remember Mary; she sat at the feet of Jesus to hear what he had to say. (Luke 10:38-42) Martha complained to Jesus because Mary wouldn’t help her. He scolded Martha instead of praising her for her domestic abilities. Mary got the blessing. We must decide which is most important. Do what has to be done but sometimes other things prevent you from finishing the job right then. Other things may take priority. The work will wait. Do you think Jesus will be upset with you when you face him, if you didn’t get your housework finished?
How often do we have Jesus as a guest? He shouldn’t be just a guest but a member of the family at all times. Mary saw that listening to Jesus was her top priority. I imagine she did her share of the work at other times. We have to stop and listen to Jesus, too. Like “they” say “Woman’s work is never done.” This is so true. Housekeeping is a matter of extremes. Like with me, other things come first. When I feel like it, I get a lot done---very haphazardly. The other extreme is the constant cleaning and no time for more important things, like church, family and friends.
My decision to work at duties that were neglected started out great after a prayer to God to let the Holy Spirit and Angels help me. I would soon lose interest if I tried to do it by myself. The first thing I tackled was my dishes---some piled up from the night before. For just one person, I so easily get a pile of dirty dishes. It seemed so endless.
I dumped the dish water into the sink, put the dishes away and stashed the dishpan and rack under the sink. Later, I went back into the kitchen to get some coffee. There was a pile of water in front of the sink. Where did that come from? The pipes were leaking. I called Housing Authority for repairs. The man came pretty quickly.
This is where God’s sense of humor came in. I was kind of upset because of this hold up but God was teaching me something. The man checked it out and said there was more than one leak. He went out and got more tools. He informed me that the faucets were rusted out and he had to replace the old one. When he was done he jokingly made the remark that the regular maintenance man, Bill, wouldn’t do that for me.
I was then reminded of a time a couple weeks ago when the regular man and two others were sitting across in the park eating lunch. When they came on the porch someone called them “The three Musketeers”. I spoke up and said: “More like the Three Stooges!” Bill said: “I’ll remember that the next time you need your toilet fixed.” He laughed about it. I told the repairman this story and he began to laugh. “So, you’re the one who called US the three stooges? I’m taking the new faucets back.” He was one of the three!!! I told him I was glad I didn’t tell him before he did the work. I laughed about this the rest of the day. It showed me just how real God is and what a great sense of humor He has.
As if that wasn’t enough, the very next week I had to call repair. The handle of the toilet was broke. Bill had to fix it but he didn’t remind me of calling him a stooge. God again reminded me to watch my mouth. My words could backfire!
Who but God could plan a silly thing like that? He proved to me just how well He knows me. That He meets me on my own level. He is a real person. He doesn’t have to blow any trumpets or put signs in the sky to prove He is God. I don’t need “standing on higher ground experiences” or to be able to carry on high spiritual conversations with Him.
God talks to me in my language and He has a wonderful sense of humor. I laughed about it all day and began again the next day. The joy just bubbled out of me. Every rime I think of it, I have to laugh again. It is amazing that I can laugh. I used to be such a “sour puss” and took myself too seriously. This “trick” He played on me with the leaking faucet and exposing my remark about the three stooges brought me closer to God than any miracle He had ever worked for me and there were many.
I know God is right beside me along with His Son, Jesus. This is the intimacy I have been looking and praying for. I can sense Him right beside me saying: “Hi Joan. What’s new today? What kind of shenanigans are you going to pull and then call on me when you get in a jam? That’s O.K. my child. You have to learn by your mistakes. I’m not going to criticize nor condemn you. I love you too much. You handle that side of it very well but it’s not necessary to do that to yourself.” Feeling guilty all the time is not going to erase the slate. Jesus did that with his blood. Romans 5:8 & 9 “But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Our own merit will never do it.
I try to be so spiritual but I can’t fly high without landing with a big bump. We are mere humans and God deals with us like the humans we are. He throws in unexplained miracles from time to time to show us He is also the Almighty who sees all, knows all and can do all things. It took a shiny new faucet, a gift from God, to really open my eyes and heart to God and to feel His full presence inside. His love is flowing in and out all around me. My “spirituality” has nothing to do with whether I please God or not. That’s a kind of a Pharisee mentality. Hey, look at me! See how good I am. I know what’s in the Bible but do I live it? That is the ultimate question.
WOW! What a revelation. I have just met Jesus in the garden. I sit at his feet and worship him.
I pray that you all have this same pleasure.
The big lesson I learned is to be careful what I say. I may have to eat my words.
God bless you
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 905 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Joan Morrone or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 905 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.