The Good Stuff II

Blessed are you who weep now,  for you will laugh.

 - From Luke 6

Facebook friend, that grew up in the US, but has lived on another continent for ten years, posts:

Dear red neck hillbilly piece of ---- people,

Hope you had a great V-day! Omg! So much candy!

Go crowd source your 8 billion dollar wall like your neighbors with cancer do.

Continue to ---- a ----,

Me

He rants on an almost daily basis, against the US; seemingly, against all Americans, but especially Christian Americans. His hate for Conservative Christian Americans runs so deep and expresses itself so violently, that it comes across as a personal thing for him. Someone, somewhere, hurt him profoundly, scarred him . . . and his response has been to run away from his home, his family, his friends; the people that love him unconditionally. And from the safe distance of another continent, and among neighbors that will probably applaud his America hate, he posts away so that he does not have to see how his words hurt, and pierce, and sadden the very ones that see the good in him.

His calling card was always a ready smile, a ready laugh. Like Mary Tyler Moore, he lit up the room. His smile was infectious. You could easily pick him out of a group photo - - - look for the teeth.

But something happened. Something cracked.

Let's talk about real Christianity, the kind that angry people are always comparing against people they love to believe are hypocrites. Let's go straight to the words of the Lord:

If you weep now, you will laugh.

The idea is to create happiness in the hearts of those who, like this Facebook friend, are tempted to be angry and vitriolic. So you're crying. You're angry? You're incensed?

It's okay. The Master has promised laughter.

President Lincoln said "I laugh, for I must not cry."

I am drawn to the warmth of a smiler, and a laugher. And so are you.

There's nothing like a crowd of faulty, flawed, imperfect, and even hypocritical Christians . . . when they get into a good spirit and are opening up with one another, when they share a great laugh with one another.

The laughter, itself, does not feed the hungry. It doesn't calm storms. It doesn't heal the sick. It doesn't correct injustices.

But it's a start.

I've been around Christians my entire life. Most of them have been Conservative Christians. They came from all races, all regions, all background, all ethnic groups. And there was a time, they even represented all political parties equally.

The best laughter, the warmest smiles, and the most disarming love for each other, has always been while in the presence of these Christians. It's even more inspiring, when they persist in their selflessness and joy, in the midst of a world with people who, like my Facebook friend, despise them.

To my friend: Bring back your smile. It will make you more effective in solving the world's problems. And it will make us more likely to work together. We're much more effective problem-solvers that way.