The Good Humor Man

When I was a kid, the ice cream truck would drive through our neighborhood several time each summer day. The driver was called "The Good Humor Man." I don't ever remember being sad when I gave him my nickel for ice cream on a stick! The Good Humor Man made me smile.

The man in the ice cream truck didn't do much to get me to smile, just drive by and take my nickel. He didn't tell me funny stories, try to get me to laugh or even laugh himself. By his presence and by providing something I liked very much, he brought joy to my life.

Good humor, joy, prevents hardening of the arteries so to speak. Joy brings life to our mind, to our will and to our emotions, especially in hard times.

That ice cream on a stick brought me joy but it disappeared quickly. After a few minutes savoring the ice cream, I had to begin looking for other things to bring me joy, or at least what I thought was joy. A new bike, cap pistols, candy and other things were on my list.

As I grew older I continued to search for things that made me happy. Alcohol, work and fleeting affairs replaced the ice cream on a stick. But like the ice cream, the joy I thought they brought disappeared quickly.

When I was 45, I finally realized there was only one sure source of joy in my life, His name is Jesus Christ. Don't get me wrong, life didn't suddenly turn into a rose garden! Like a small child, I had to learn how to tap into the resources we can have in Him. I'm still learning but I know we can have joy unspeakable that is everlasting! We can have good humor by One Man and it doesn't cost a nickel!