You would expect an article on hu­mour to start with a joke. But, and this is amusing, it would be very difficult to find a joke that is considered funny by all. Some are greatly stimulated by a play on words. These people can get very excited about the fact that the difference between an empty water pipe and a jok­ing Dutchman lies in the fact that the one is a hollow cylinder and the other a silly Hollander. However, there are folks who find it much more interesting to watch someone's reaction to a practical joke. They stealthily exchange coats and watch the victims struggle with a piece of clothing that suddenly does not suit their physical dimensions anymore. There are also those who have an eye for detecting a comical aspect in a seri­ous situation. When the mother of a young child had her hand luggage stolen at an airport, her brother remarked, "I certainly hope the thief likes baby food." And although all these examples fall into the category of humour, not everyone is equally amused by each variety.

Whether we laugh easily and read­ily, or whether we are more direct and to the point, all of us will be able to ap­preciate the fact that humour is a very complicated entity. Humour is the stun­ning ability to take distance of ourselves and our situation. From the new van­tage point, we are able to see that the situation we were so caught up in, has some sides to it that we were not aware of yet. The rain might drip steadily through the roof of your camper into an empty ice cream pail, but all at once it strikes you that some people have to go through the trouble of drenching their recreational vehicle with a garden hose to find out where the leaks are. It can also be that from the greater distance we are able to detect an unexpected connection with a similar situation. Suddenly the flat tire reminds you of your grandfather's face when he had a toothache. But humour is much more than a mental analysis of a precarious moment or a stoic association with a similar event. It takes us a big step further. It triggers an emotional response in us. The unex­pected aspect or association can make us laugh. Suddenly we feel renewed. We are able to cope again. We are willing to give the thing that seemed hopeless another try. In humour, mind and emo­tion meet to create a new flow of en­ergy. Humour is not only funny. It is also uplifting.

But there is one very sad side to hu­mour. It has not escaped the results of the fall into sin. Also our Lord's good gift of humour is stained and corrupted. At one time or other we all have felt the sting of misdirected jokes. Every variety of humour can easily be abused. When witty jokes about a person's features or habits are soaked in venom, they can leave deep wounds. Practical jokes can hurt as well, especially when they em­barrass a person publicly. And certain situations do not warrant a jocular ap­proach. A mother should not laugh when her little one runs to her for com­fort after falling off his bike, however comical the nose-dive might have seemed to her. In this case his mother's laugh would hurt the child more than the scrapes.

Misguided humour is bad enough. But it gets even worse when society as a whole becomes accustomed to jokes that are in poor taste. Our family has on oc­casion taken out videos that announced themselves in words like "a delightful family comedy, an irresistible treat." But it was not funny at all. It could of course be that our family does not have any sense of humour, but we have some evidence that such an assumption is in­correct. The problem lies with the way humour is interpreted. Wilful damage to someone's property should not make anybody laugh. Hurting and injuring a person is not delightful. Theft is never cute; a child's "innocent" wit or the owner's preoccupation with other mat­ters are no excuse. Having to witness disrespect for adults is not an irresistible treat. If this type of humour is recom­mended for family use, we have reason to fear what adult comedies portray as acceptable forms of entertainment.

Though we are Christians, it can­not be denied that the mentality of the world influences us. It would be too easy to lay the blame for that at the declin­ing morals of our society. The cause lies in our own sinful heart. It is very easy to grow accustomed to misdirected forms of humour. The first time we may not think it is so funny when we hear a joke which is made at the cost of some­one else or which is based on the theme of marital unfaithfulness. But after a while, our distinct awareness of right and wrong may fade. And it is only a small step from passively condoning someone else's inappropriate humour to actively making improper jokes our­selves. We can grow accustomed to that as well, since any form of sinful behav­iour vibrates quite effectively with our old nature.

But, by the grace of God, we are able to break away from sinful forms of hu­mour. This restoration process starts with realizing again that also our hu­mour is subjected to the law of our Lord. Our covenant God himself summarized this law as follows: love the Lord and love the neighbour. This summary is the normative standard to measure whether a joke is appropriate. Many jokes, for example, mock the name of the Lord and promote a totally distorted view of heaven and hell. When we focus on the command not to use the name of the Lord in vain, we will protest this kind of language and avoid at all cost using it ourselves. That means no more stories about Peter at the gate of heaven. Simi­larly, many supposedly funny stories depend for their effect on the failures of others. We have to stay away from those types of jokes as well, if we are to pro­mote the name and honour of our neighbour at all times.

A healthy sense of humour has an impact on others. Sometimes this posi­tive effect takes place intentionally, when we speak up against bad jokes. But at other times we can have an enor­mous influence on others without real­izing it. When we stop laughing at misguided jest, we unwittingly discour­age more of the same. A person who enjoys telling clean entertaining tales teaches by example that you can have a good time without reveling in someone else's sins, features, characteristics or mishaps. And some of us are able to skillfully combat bad jokes with a strong dosage of healthy humour.

We cannot underestimate the influ­ence parents have on their children's joke appreciation. Children develop their sense of humour by what their parents think is funny. In addition to having a mental disposition that resembles the one of their parents, they are shaped by what their parents practice and consider appropriate. Even before a child can talk, he observes that his parents laugh about certain things he does. He is intrigued by their jokes and riddles. He is very sensitive to what amuses them. If they think his failures are a reason to poke ex­cessive fun at him, he will not only feel hurt, but one day he himself might ridicule someone else's failures. As our children grow up, we will have numer­ous opportunities to show them how enjoyable good humour is and to correct them when they produce a joking re­mark that was hurtful toward God or our neighbour. It can also happen at one point that our children tell us that our jokes were not really funny. Teenagers can have a very strong sense of justice. We do well to appreciate their remarks, and, if necessary, make adjustments.

The fact that humour is learned at home has a chronic, but not unpleasant side effect. Each family has a specific sense of humour and assortment of home-grown jokes that is unique to them. Though this distinctive flavour might require some adjusting when an "outsider" joins the family as friend, it creates a strong bond of togetherness as family unit.

Our sense of humour reveals much about ourselves. We show others into which direction our mind wanders when we allow it to roam freely for a moment. Some people disclose their disregard for the Lord and His commandments when they crack a joke. It is also possible to show our faith in our humour. This does not mean that we speak lightheartedly about certain Bible characters or events. As a matter of fact, that type of joke is quite often very irreverent. But our trust in the Lord will shine through when we are able to speak with a reverent sense of humour about a difficult situation in which the Lord has placed us. Some older people are very seasoned in this form of humour, as they learn to cope with the ailments the Lord puts on their path.

With thankfulness, we are able to use the Lord's good gift of humour to His honour. When we learn how to take distance from ourselves in an appropri­ate way and how to enjoy an uplifting laugh, we receive an ever so small fore­taste of the eternal joy that is prepared for those who love their Lord.