It was a dark and stormy night. OK, it wasn’t stormy, but it was dark. The kind of dark you find at night. The kind of night when strange and mysterious things happen. Beverly and I had gone to bed after working hard all day. We were exhausted and sleep came quickly. Suddenly, in the middle of that dark and mysterious night, Beverly awoke. An odd noise had roused her from a deep sleep.

 

She glanced at the clock. Her eyes slowly focused on 3:00 a.m. Then there was that noise again. Someone was in the room. Someone pacing back and forth. Startled she reached for me, but I wasn’t there. She looked closer at the pacing image. With eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light, she recognized that lonely figure, head bent down, pacing back and forth. It was her beloved husband…me.

 

“Chuck? What are you doing?” she asked, obviously overcome with worry at the sight of me equally overcome with some grave concern that had me up in the middle of the dark and mysterious night. Without hesitation, or raising my head or even slowing my pace, I firmly replied, “I’m looking for the lawn mower.” Having heard my own words, it was at that precise moment…that I woke up.

 

Without love there can be no joy…

 

What followed was loud, somewhat maniacal laughter that continued for what felt like hours. It would be incorrect to say Beverly was laughing so hard she struggled to catch her breath or that tears were rolling down her cheeks, all of that would be true, but hardly a sufficient description.

 

Suffice it to say…having any intelligent conversation with her was impossible for quite some time, or even for her to seriously consider my explanation that she had misunderstood me when I said I was looking at the “wrong door” because I had been thinking about changing the doors in the house sometime, possibly. No use. She never heard a word.

 

When I was younger, I took everything seriously, especially myself. I never laughed at my mistakes. Every error was magnified as I sought perfection in everything I did. This made me at times a fairly unforgiving, intolerant and unmerciful person. And that was not what God wanted. His desire was that I show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. ¹

 

Without joy there can be no peace.

 

When God gives us such a list, He places them in a special order…one before the next. I can love others by helping them. But I can’t have patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control if I have no joy. I certainly cannot have peace. And how can I have joy if I take myself so seriously, if I cannot join in the laughter of others when I go looking for my lawn mower?

 

Paul once said, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all…And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ² He also recognized the importance of having joy.

 

This week as you deal with the reality of life, laugh as much as you can, especially at yourself. You’ll be amazed at how such a simple act will endear you to others, make you more open and accessible to them, and begin relationships that can last a lifetime. And always remember, if on some dark and mysterious night you find yourself pacing in your bedroom, do NOT say you’re looking for the lawn mower!

 

Ciloa Forever!

Chuck

 

Chuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa, an international ministry devoted to sharing God’s encouragement and teaching others how to “encourage one another as long as it is called Today!” He is also an author, speaker, teacher, and encourager. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. You can learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at www.Ciloa.org.

 

Footnotes: (1) Read Galatians 5:22-23. (2) Read Philippians 1:4-7.

 

Pictures: Banner: (1) Lawn Mower, Pixabay, creator unknown. (2) Fruit of the Spirit, from SteelMagnoliaBlog.com, 11-12-2021, creator unknown. (3) The Power of a Smile, photo by Dor Kedmi, from Pinterest.