Sometimes the greatest attribute that we can apply to our lives is the ability to laugh at ourselves when we look stupid, to take ourselves lightly when every temptation is leading to an “all-seriousness-attitude”, and to practice the precious art of self-comedy. G-Dad (my paternal grandfather who is a retired Southern Baptist Pastor… and who has been a relentless source of inspiration, wisdom, encouragement, and unashamed self-comedy in the lives of all those that he has influenced) has taught me many important and memorable lessons about life, ministry, marriage, and loving people (many of these formative lessons I will refrain from repeating at this time… ummm… like the time G-Dad and I were sitting on a bench by a busy entrance on the second floor of Collin Creek Mall in Plano, Texas when G-Dad decided that it was the perfect moment to teach me how to “girl watch” by averting my eyes in side-ways glances without getting caught…). One of the most imortant lessons that I have learned about life from my G-Dad… is the art of self-comedy. In fact, I am pretty confident that it would be impossible for me to remember the number of times that I have heard my grandfather say something close to… ”Ohh… don’t take life so seriously. You’ve gotta be able to laugh at yourself.”

While holding my son this past Wednesday nite… I received an unexpected reminder of the art of self-comedy that G-Dad has tried to teach me over the years… when my crowned incisor decided that it was tired of remaining comfortably cemented to the fang-of-a-tooth in my mouth that the dentists call a “post”. After I extracted the tooth from my mouth… Ryland and I sprinted to the restroom to check the damage in the mirror. And that is when the art of self-comedy took over.

When I was in the Sixth grade, I had an incident involving a basketball, a brick wall, and my right-front incisor. This incident led to a dentists chair (repeatedly) as the dentists (repeatedly) cemented my broken tooth back together (repeatedly). In 2004, my dentist in Paris, Texas finally had enough of that cementing and re-cementing… and decided that it was time to perform a root-canal, carve my busted tooth to a tiny post, then fashion a crown to sit on top of that fang-of-a-tooth.

My wife had never seen my tiny fang-tooth since this all took place before we started dating. But on Wednesday nite… Amanda took every opportunity to lovingly remind me how freakishly Dracula-esque my smile had become.

Alas… the tooth is now fixed (and it is fixed much better than before… I might add). But this has been the perfect opportunity for me to practice the art of self-comedy.

So… enjoy the photos… and remember… “Don’t take life so seriously”… 

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+Caption: We are on the way to the dentist to get my “WeaverFang” fixed. Please note the zip-lock bag in my jacket pocket which contained the aforementioned tooth (crown).

+Caption: And now I’m in the dentist chair… about to get my “WeaverFang” fixed by a tooth doctor named Gus (whose brother owns Delmar Pizza by the way).

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(*please note: My use of the term “self-comedy” should not be confused with the term ”self-deprecation”… there is a definite difference between a person who has decided that their LIFE is naturally WORTHY of LAUGHTER… and a person who has defensively and destructively decided that their LIFE must be LAUGHED AT to discover WORTH… the difference may seem miniscule… but the implications of employing a self-defense mechanism as a lifestyle is rooted in a broken/wounded/false identity. If we are finding our self-worth in anything other than in the arms of the Creator… then we will most-assuredly find ourselves broken, wounded, and falsely identified as individuals. A person’s worth is not dependent upon the acceptance of humanity… and while this is valuable–to be accepted and loved and appreciated by our peers–it should not define our worth. Self-comedy is the art of laughing at life and my mistakes and my acheivements and my occupation and my family and my beliefs without allowing that laughter to define my identity. And while I have not always been the best at living out the art of self-comedy… this is a practice that I am finding more important to my health and sanity every day. Also… as is the case with most life attributes… self-comedy can also be destructive if not lived in the delicate balance of righteous living. See… Ephesians 4:22-32; Proverbs 20:7; Proverbs 11:29-31; Matthew 23:28-29; 2 Timothy 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav