Humor and Young People

I believe that Jesus had FUN and was fun to be with, but was it the key element through which He reached people? What place does it play today in reaching the emerging generation? To begin the search for answers, I sent out a questionnaire to and talked with teenagers from different nations – their responses showed that they were in agreement. Different cultures were not the issue but the heart cry for relationship during the teenage years echoed in the heart of each one. This article is intended to be an avenue through which their voices can be heard on the relevance of humor in connecting with, and reaching out to them. The following is a synopsis of their responses in their own words. The writing might not be fluent, their language stilted – but it is THEIR voice.

“The first thing is to create an environment in which we can all be ourselves. In that environment, humor can help nurture us, just like water and sunshine to a rose, but like a rose we need to be free to be ourselves and open up. You can’t force a rose to open without it becoming withered or bruised, but you can take care of it by nurturing it. That is how it is with us. Humor is just one tool that God wants to use to reach out to us in that environment.” 

“Humor can help reach us as it helps us to feel more comfortable. To adults, I would say that humor is a great way to pull us out of our “seclusion box.” It can build our self-confidence, but once you have brought us out of our “box,” then what? Why did you bring us out if you aren’t going to do anything with us? Eventually, you need to be serious, to challenge, stretch, and disciple us.”

“Humor is important in our relationships. It is like an ice breaker in a conversation, helping us to be more open and so leading to a relationship being formed. Fun times we have together are great because in our hectic and stressful days we need a laugh every now and then. Sometimes to cheer us up and other times to help us relax. If I were with an adult who did not have fun, I wouldn’t be around them for long. It is nice to occasionally have a little ‘goof off’ time.”

“Humor is important because it is probably the best way to connect a group. When you are joking and having fun you can’t be fearing rejection at the same time.”

“Adults sometimes have a different sense of humor; there is a big difference between laughing at each other and laughing with each other. We love you to laugh with us, but not at us, as that is hurtful and makes us shut down and stop trusting.”

“This generation isn’t like the previous generation. They are more business-like, whereas we are more laid back and want to have a good time. When adults are continually acting serious and can’t seem to be themselves around us because of the fear of what we might think, it becomes a turn off that hinders how we relate with them.”

“Some adults can take it too far with the joking by allowing themselves to verbalize crude and uncouth remarks. This can hinder us because they can offend the ones they are actually trying to reach out to.”

“I love it when people joke and play along with our pranks because it shows that they care about us and want to be a part of our lives.”

“If there wasn’t any humor or fun it would be very different because it would feel all business like.”

“I appreciate the fun times with adults because I can act myself and not fear rejection. I always feel the love of Christ from people who use humor appropriately to connect with us.”

“There is a time to be serious as well. I think we understand, and we can be trusted with that seriousness when the time comes. We enjoy being humorous but we also enjoy people being serious and challenging us. I have a relationship with an adult who has been very humorous with me for many years. If we completely left out the humor in our relationship now it would be a little different. I know now that if they stopped being humorous I would still be committed to them – but if they were never going to be humorous again I don’t think we would be the same. Humor is what made their training so fun for me. It’s what made me want to come back. But now that I’m in, I love it and I love that person. If they stopped that wouldn’t change the fact that I would come to them or change the fact that I love them. However, their humor is what brought me out of my ‘box’ and built my self-confidence.”

“There are times to be humorous and serious, but either one always helps us to bridge the gap with this generation and the next! Lean too far on just one side, then you get someone boring or annoying; stay in the middle, then you’ve got someone fun and trustworthy to hang around with!”

“Another question we might ask is, ‘How does it help us to relate to Jesus?’ Well for one reason, Jesus is love and when we are able to show love to others by acting funny, it helps us to show the joy and happiness that is in us because of what Christ did in us.”

“I think humor is important because it lets you be yourself. I also don’t think God wants us to be serious ALL the time, He definitely sets times for us to be serious, but also I think He wants us to play and laugh and be who He created us to be. I think that the main problem with our generation is that what we think of as ‘church’ is that we go to this building and just listen to somebody talk for a couple of hours, but this generation’s problem is that we aren’t involved. Getting us to laugh and open up helps us to be involved and to be more willing to listen and to participate. Humor is definitely a tool God gave us and He wants us to use what He gave us . :)"

“I am 110% for humor! I love it. I love to see people laugh in hard times. It’s an ‘uplifting tool!’ This generation needs people who don’t give a long lecture, but who let the youth out on the streets know you are human, by relaxing and chilling out from time to time. We can then feel comfortable and even come to trust each other more! We all need to keep having that kind of fun, it helps get us through life!” 

“I think humor is important too for non-Christians. Some non-Christians look at Christians and say that we have no fun when really we do. It is a joy for us to honor and worship a God who loves us so much. I’ve been asking people around my campus and the main phrase they use is ‘No-one likes a bore.’ Being bored is not fun at all. Bringing humor and laughter into a situation brings joy, happiness, and a sense of love. Everyone needs that sense of love and laughter in their lives, which brings a sense of acceptance. The amazing thing is that God accepts us no matter how broken or boring we are. Acceptance is huge in society today. Yes, humor is very important, it has made me feel welcome and like we are family.” 

In conclusion, in my relationships with young people I have found that a healthy combination of humor, discipline, and challenge complement each other to help, by the power of the Holy Spirit, provide a foundation for discipleship. I love their fun – it is a breath of fresh air in my life. I love their laughter – it reflects the carefree abandonment of the Kingdom. I love the joy reflected in their eyes. I love them. When I use humor it connects with them, but as with most things of the Kingdom – I gain so much more than I give with this amazing emerging generation.

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