Humor Helps

“From six calamities he will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you”

(Job 5:19-21, NIV)


It was one of those endless weeks that sometimes plague me and makes true what it says in Psalms 69:1 – “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.”

Can anyone else relate? Wally McDoogle’s book titles describe my life at times: “My life as a torpedo test target.” “My life as a human hockey puck.” And the one that is all too familiar, “My life as a cowboy cowpie.” (Don’t ask…..)

Two weeks ago, I invented my own title: “My life as a wading wild woman…”

While Brandon was having a snack after school and I was upstairs trying to finish some things for work. (If it weren’t for the last minute, I would get nothing done!) I heard the backdoor open and the dogs come running in. Fine I thought, Brandon wants to play with them, I’ll deal with the mess later. A few minutes later, all was quiet. (Never a good sign) I went to check. Brandon had gone in the garage – and then out the garage to the front yard. Matthew left the garage door open when he went to his friend’s. (He broke the 1st commandment of our house: Thou Shalt NEVER leave a door to the outside world open or unlocked!)

Thankfully, Brandon didn’t have enough time to get much further than the driveway. Thankfully, the dogs still could be seen. So I brought Brandon in and asked his guardian angels to watch him while I went back to get the dogs.

When I went back in the house not 5 minutes later, I realized that I should have been more specific to the guardian Angels.

One would think that Angels are more intelligent and have better insight – but not true apparently. While they did keep Brandon safe for that 5 minutes that I was away, I quickly found that I should have been more specific in my instructions: “Keep Brandon safe AND out of trouble.”

He had both faucets of the bathroom sink running full blast and a washrag fell in to prevent it from draining. So, my bathroom was flooded, the closet carpet wet, and water even seeped into the garage. My husband walked in from work all cheery and anticipating a warm welcome, and instead he saw a wild woman trying to contain the flood and the soaked child that caused it. So, wisely and without saying a word, (He knows better….) he just took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his jeans, and went to get the shop vac. And so began chapter 1,254 of Brandon’s Law: If I can climb it, flood it, break it, or escape from it, turn your back for just one second - and I will...

Unfortunately, we cannot prevent the floods of life from happening. But thanks to the grace of God and a little bit of humor at the absurdity of some situations we find ourselves in, we can avoid being drowned by them. We can choose to hang onto God and swim for shore, or give in and let satan or our own self-pity engulf us and eventually drown us. Choosing the former helps to make life more bearable.

Psalm 93:2 helps too: “Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up the roaring of their waves. The Lord on high is mightier and more glorious than the noise of many waters, yes, than the mighty breakers and waves of the sea.”

God is our lifeguard – He is mightier than any flood! So when the floodwaters come – call out to him for help. He will either stop the flood or give you the strength to get through it by putting on his Heavenly Galoshes and wading alongside you. And while you are waiting for the waters to recede - try to find the humor in situations. For me, how can I get mad about my son flooding the bathroom? He is after all, - a Guppy

By Michelle M. Guppy