There’s a lot of heavy stuff going on in our country right now. From a heated Presidential election that discourages us to an irrational executive decree about gender-neutral bathrooms that infuriates us. I’ve written about some of these issues recently but this week I feel the need to take a break and share a funny story.
Proverbs 17:22 reads, “A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” I like the way that verse is paraphrased in THE MESSAGE; “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone tired.”
That’s why I think we occasionally just need to stop and laugh together. If we don’t we can become jaded and exhausted by all the doom and gloom. Jesus was noted for His joy and Christians need to be the most joyous people on earth because we have a hope that “can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for us.”
My friend Ben Merold, who turns 90 this month shared the following story with me recently.
An old geezer became very bored in retirement and decided to open a medical clinic. He put a sign up outside that read, “Dr. Geezer’s Clinic – Get your treatment for $500; if not cured, get back $1000.”
Doctor “Young”, who was positive that this old geezer didn’t know beans about medicine, thought this would be a great opportunity to humiliate him and also make $1000. So he went into to Dr. Geezer’s clinic.
Dr. Young: “Dr. Geezer, I have lost all taste in my mouth. Can you please help me?”
Dr. Geezer: “Nurse, please bring medicine from Box 22 and put three drops in Dr. Young’s mouth.”
Dr. Young: “Aaagh!!! This is gasoline!”
Dr. Geezer: “Congratulations! You’ve got your taste back. That will be $500.”
Dr. Young was greatly annoyed and came back after a couple of days determined to recover his money.
Dr. Young: “I have lost my memory. I cannot remember anything.”
Dr. Geezer: “Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put three drops in the patient’s mouth.”
Dr. Young: “Oh, no you don’t, that is gasoline!”
Dr. Geezer: “Congratulations! You’ve got your memory back. That will be $500.”
After having lost a thousand dollars, Dr. Young left in a huff, but returned after several more days.
Dr. Young: “My eyesight has become really weak. I can hardly see anything!”
Dr. Geezer: Well, I don’t have any medicine for that so, here’s your $1000 back.” He then handed Dr. Young ten $1.00 bills.
Dr. Young: “But this is only ten dollars!”
Dr. Geezer: “Congratulations! You got your vision back! That will be $500.”
The moral of the story is: Just because you’re “Young” doesn’t mean you can outsmart an old Geezer.
Some modern politicians think their contemporary, cutting-edge ideas are wiser than the wisdom of the ages. They scoff at the old-fashioned teaching of Scripture and ridicule the moral values of yesterday as irrelevant and intolerant. But the Bible dismisses man’s youthful arrogance by pointedly asking:
“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:20-21).
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