During the day, yesterday, I started thinking about God and who He is and how much like Him we are.

As part of the process I thought about Carla and the years she spent in watching other people’s children.  When we got married we decided that one of us would not work while our children were young – actually she would not, as my earnings at the time were more than hers.

It was difficult, we didn’t always get to do what we wanted or buy what we wanted, but it was important for our children to be raised the way WE wanted them raised.  My mother worked and we were raised by the babysitters (to a degree) and not all should have come within 100 feet of children.

I didn’t want that for our children; and Carla understood and agreed.

I had to take part-time jobs to make ends meet, but they weren’t strenuous and I gained some friends, was able to witness to others and we got by.

Someone asked Carla if she would be interested in babysitting for a women’s Bible Study for a couple hours each week.  She did, she could take our children with her, of course, and they made new friends. 

I was asked once by someone, if we were ever going to send our kids to pre-school.  I said no, they get the same education from Carla and the most important part was interaction with other children and they had that in abundance – and most of the parents of those kids shared our values.

Through the years she baby sat for eight churches and a couple of Christian women’s groups so the mothers could focus on the meetings.  She was in demand.

She started caring for children at our home when a good friend’s husband left her, their two young children and no support.  She had to go to work.  She insisted on paying, even though it really stretched her budget. 

Someone told Carla that the lady would surely be eligible for state assistance.  Neither Carla nor the lady really were interested in that, but at the same time THAT is what it is to be used for, to help those in need.

We found out Carla would have to apply for certification and did, the mother finally gave in and applied for the assistance.

Because of her wages she didn’t pay anything for the child care so it helped the family a great deal. 

That was the beginning of Carla’s work.  That was her ministry in serving God.  She treated those kids like our own, they learned, early on, the rules, and that Carla insisted they abide by them.

AND it helped pay the bills and buy a house.

Some of the children she babysat for brought their children to her when they needed a sitter.

Through the years she has babysat for hundreds of children at one time or another, at one place or another.  Ages ranged from a few months to early teens.  It wasn’t unusual for her to have over 20 children in her charge at some of the churches – and she did it without others to help.  Course part of her care was to help teach the kids to share and help others.

She has practical experience; I would call her an expert on young children.  She was and is a good mother.

Last night, I asked her the question, have you ever had to teach a child to laugh?  No, was the answer.

I was reading an article that said we are too frivolous; God doesn’t appreciate humor in the pulpit.

So does God have a sense of humor?  Does He laugh?

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We are created in the image of God.  We bear within the essence of His Spirit.  He wants us to be as much like Him as we possibly can be.

To ME, the evidence is unequivocal that God not only has a sense of humor, but He laughs.

He created children, and He called them to Him.  Unless under oppression, children readily laugh; unabashedly laugh and with great enthusiasm laugh.  We have all seen young babies just start laughing at the silliest things.  They engender laughs from us as we see how much they enjoy laughing.

Who doesn’t like to see the clowns of the barnyards, goats – especially baby goats – as they bounce around jumping from one thing to another with obvious joy?

The same is true of watching other youngsters, from kittens, to dogs to elephant babies, they love to play and, yes, you can tell they are ‘laughing’ out of pure enjoyment.

That is the way God created them.  And that is the way God created us – an ability to laugh and enjoy life, as well as our need to work hard and be serious with those things that deserve or need to be taken seriously.

Humor, like, all gifts can be abused and misused.  Humor that hurts others, that demeans them, makes fun of them is not humor used as it should be.

Self-deprecating humor, as far as I am concerned, is fine, as long as it is not taken too far – we are able to laugh at ourselves and often we use it to prove a point.

Salvation IS serious business and must be taken seriously.  But all God’s gifts can be at used, at the right and/or appropriate time, to witness to others about the greatness of our God.

Non-believers all too frequently think that to accept Christ is to give up fun and laughing, it isn’t, but it IS more uplifting and food for the soul. 

Later, Art :-)