Lighten Up!

I was recently talking with a man who described his childhood as anything but happy. Abuse, drunkenness, fighting have become too often the norm in our day. In contrast, my childhood is filled with wonderful, happy memories. Of course we had our disagreements, and there is nothing wrong with this as long as they are handled in a kind and fair way.
My grandmother lived with us from the time I was about four until her death long after I was married. She had a wonderful sense of humor and added to the joyful atmosphere of our home. I was thinking of this recently when watching family home movies of her blowing horns and dancing around to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.
But her childhood was not so happy. From her vantage point, her father was austere and, on more than one occasion, he singled her out for greater punishment than her siblings. As she told me these stories, I could feel the pain, even 80 years later! She said their family would be singing and laughing together; then her mother would say, “Your father is coming.” That meant the laughter and play were over and it wasn’t to be heard once their father walked through the door.
This is sad, isn’t it? Too often, fathers think their job is to be the stern parent and his wife the gentle one. Where is that in Scripture? Consider these verses: “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.” (Psalm 128:1-4) The Hebrew word for ‘blessed’, as with the Greek word used in the Beatitudes, conveys the idea of happiness because of a right relationship with God and others. This blessed man sounds like he has a happy home, wouldn’t you agree?
A wise sage once said to me, “Don’t take life too seriously.” Fathers can falsely conclude it is disrespect if they are the brunt of a joke. My sister and I often played duets on the piano and, one evening, the music was getting louder and faster. Finally, our dad had enough and yelled, “Get away from that pajama!” We all burst into laughter, and so did he. We still reminded him of this slip 40 years later! Dad had 3X5 cards in his pocket and often, at the supper table, he would pull them out to tell us the latest joke he had heard. His ability to laugh, even at himself, was an integral part of our happy home and we respected him for it. So, parents, especially dads, let’s lighten up! God meant life to be enjoyed! (Psalm 34:12)