By Pastor Mark Moreno
Be Silly
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
I try hard to be serious a lot of the time. I mean, I have a job and in that job, people look to me to be responsible, knowledgeable, and wise. I don’t believe today’s image does a very good job of capturing any hint of being responsible, knowledgeable or wise!
This old picture captures a moment in time and is quite frankly one that I treasure. There are reasons to treasure it: Those children are now in their 20s and live in three different states. Each of their poses captures a bit of how they are wired. It is an unadulterated moment of silliness, of goofiness, and of sheer fun! I laugh every time I see it.
In Genesis 18, we hear about Abraham and Sarah and a “funny” moment,
“They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
English Standard Version
In that moment, Sarah laughed because the promise was hard to believe. But the promise DID happen and the child that was born was named Isaac (which means “one who laughs”). I bet there are times in your life when laughter and silliness are the farthest thing from your mind. But I encourage you to take time to laugh and enjoy the people God has placed in your life! You will be glad you did.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
