A Note On Joking With People

You have likely seen a good-natured joke not responded to the right way.

For example, imagine you are with a group of friends in a park when you all see a chipmunk clearly taller than the others.

Christians,

You have probably noticed times when a good-natured joke is not treated as a joke by someone in a group you are with.  Then, that same person even makes fun of the person telling the joke.  This can be pretty hurtful even if the other person shrugs it off with a weak laugh. 

For example, imagine you are with a group of friends in a park when you all see a chipmunk clearly taller than the others.  One of you says, “I thought dogs weren’t allowed in this park.”  Then, one of you replies, “That’s not a dog, you idiot! You need to get new glasses.” 

Do you see what happened there?  You have likely seen that kind of situation happen many times before too.  Of course, the person who made the joke about the chipmunk knew it wasn’t a dog.  A joke is supposed to be at least a little silly, and it is often also a silly analogy.

The right way for us to respond to a joke that isn’t hurting anyone is with a laugh, and it can also be fun to build on the joke if we can think of something.