If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. —2 Corinthians 5:13
There are some actions of the past in some of us
that we will probably never, never, never know for sure whether they
were right or wrong. That is, we will never know until we get to
heaven. God also lets some things remain in suspension to keep us from
taking ourselves too seriously!
And what is the best attitude to adopt from then on? I answer: we learn
to laugh at ourselves. Leave it to God. Have a laugh! The truth is, God
for the moment has chosen not to tell us whether what we said or did
was right! We might as well laugh, because crying about it won’t help!
If you make a choice whether to laugh or cry, why punish yourself?
Giving something over to God is a great privilege. We cast our anxiety
upon Him because He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7). Once we cast our care on
Him—leaving our burden to the Lord, we should not look back. The
highest level of proof that we really have cast our care upon the Lord
is to forget the whole thing and just laugh!
People who take themselves too seriously cannot laugh at themselves.
They certainly cannot bear to be laughed at. But when we don’t take
ourselves too seriously, we will not take it so hard when we are
laughed at, and therefore we can enjoy laughing with them—at ourselves!
God is in no hurry to give us the shaking of the shoulders or the slap
on the wrist—or whatever we may need. I just know one thing: God tends
to deal with me sooner or later, and often sooner—especially if it has
to do with a cross word with Louise, my children, or a close friend. I
am just thankful that He doesn’t let me get away with things!
Excerpted from Controlling the Tongue (Charisma House, 2007).
