That Was NOT Funny!
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
A great sense of humor is a wonderful thing—until it’s not! Laughter is good for us and without a doubt, we all need to do it more. The question is this: What are we laughing at? I confess that I was recently in a situation where the conversation was not godly. I did not make my feelings known. In other words, I blew it!
Concerns grow when we laugh at others’ misfortune or when there are inuendoes. While our faces turn red and we giggle, the Holy Spirit within us is not pleased.
Our goal should never be to make someone laugh—no matter what it takes. The last part of that sentence is all wrong! When we cause someone to cringe, stumble, or even become embarrassed, there is an invisible line that we have crossed.
All our thoughts, comments and actions point others to Jesus. Right? Conversations should glorify Him, not humiliate us or anyone else. Why does this happen? How do we fall prey to these situations? For most of us, once upon a time, we lived in that world, and it wasn’t uncomfortable. However, now that the Holy Spirit resides in us, it dredges up the past and we blush and feel uneasy.
Resolving uncomfortable issues such as this is difficult. We don’t always know what to say or do—especially if the jokester is a Christian. You’re thinking, ‘they need to know that this is offensive and not godly behavior.’ I totally agree with all of you, but confrontation is hard for many of us
Perhaps the best way to approach this would be using God’s Word. If we don’t say NO, it’s assumed the answer is YES. That isn’t the case. We must stand up for Jesus. Gently we can say we are bothered because of verses like:
Romans 14:13 – Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
2 Corinthians 6:3 - We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry.
We just need to do the next right thing!
Loving Lord, teach us Your ways! Help us never to embarrass You by what we say or do! Give us courage and strength to speak out and stand firm and tall for You. AMEN.