Man Up, Boys and Girls!

It all started with a simple Facebook status update.  I’m not one that constantly lets the world know where I am and what I am doing.  It happens randomly when the mood hits me.

Last Friday morning the mood hit me while waiting for my 21 year old son to wake up.  I know I kept those same hours when I was in college, but what was I thinking!  Anyway, I posted the following:

“Excited to be spending a final ‘guy day’ with my boy before he heads back to college next week. We are going to see Mission Impossible and then eat some manly food that is not good for us. Final splurge of the semester break.”

I may not constantly update the world on what I am doing, but I like talking about how much I love my family and how much fun it is for me to spend time with my grown-up kids.  I wasn’t expecting responses, but I got one from a female college friend I haven’t seen in almost 30 years. 

“Define ‘manly food’ please. Is it food that puts hair on your chest, or already has hair on its own? Or both of those swimming in grease with a large side of fries and dessert? Just wondering if I have partaken in manly food by accident or on purpose in my past.”

Now I could have just chuckled at that and left it alone (but the snoozing boy left me with time on my hands). So, the mood hit me …

“There was a time when ‘manly’ and hair on one's chest were synonymous. However, in the current culture, it is probably not true. Most of the food of which we will partake today has had hair on its own chest, though we will require that it be removed before it is brought to our table. As the chivalrous males we both desire to be, we are more than happy for any humans of the female persuasion to partake in manly fare without fear of chauvinistic condemnation. So, enjoy, my fully female friends. You are even welcome to follow up with a healthy belch.”

You may not find that particularly amusing, but I did. It is not uncommon for me to think I am more amusing than I really am. But, why didn’t I just let it die on Facebook instead of reviving it here? And what does it have to do with the premise that our lives matter to God? 

Those were your questions, weren’t they? Two things occur to me as I reflect on this silly exchange.  One is that it is good to laugh.  We take ourselves way too seriously sometimes.  The Bible says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength ...  A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit ... For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.” (Proverbs 17:22;15:13,15).

The other is that manly men may have dirt under their fingernails, but they don’t require dirt in their humor. It’s not the kind of humor that is good for your heart if you wouldn’t say it to your Grandma.

So, man up, boys and girls!  Even our laughter matters to God.