Grasshopper Comedy

My hands were sweaty, my mind was racing a million miles an hour. I just needed to trust my preparation, and know that I had done everything I could. It would all be over in a few minutes, and good or bad, I would be done.

I heard my name called, and slowly made my way forward. The walk to the front seemed like it was an eternity away. I could feel the eyes of people watching me, judging me, wondering what I was all about.

I took the microphone from the host and said, “¿Donde está el baño? Yo quiero do tacos y dos tamales. Tu tienes una cara de perro…” And just like that, my very first stand up comedy routine was underway.

I had seen an invitation to perform in a show for local comics. I know a lot of people said my preaching was a joke, so I decided to give it a try. The thing is, I didn’t know if I would like it, and I didn’t know if I would be any good at it. I have always heard that standup comedy is one of the most difficult things to do. And after trying it, I think it is. It is also highly addictive!

People laughed, and even though I didn’t win the contest, I was on a high all the way home. I loved the sound of people laughing at my jokes, or maybe just how poorly I told them. I’m still not positive if they were laughing at me or with me, I just know that I really enjoyed it. I wrote a few weeks ago about how I did the show to knock it off my bucket list, but now I am hooked! So whether I am actually any good or not, I will be doing another show on January 5th, and I am really looking forward to it.

I could have just shied away from the opportunity and not even tried. We are really good at talking ourselves into being safe and not taking risks. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves living nice, sedate, comfortable, and meaningless lives.

In Number 13 and 14, when the Israelites got near Canaan, the land God promised to them, Moses sent out scouts to check out the area. They came back a single cluster of grapes so big that it took two men to carry it. Those are some big grapes!

When Moses reported to the people that the land was indeed flowing with milk and honey like God had promised, Caleb told the crowd, “Let’s go at once and take the land… We can certainly conquer it!”

The other men who went on the scouting mission weren’t convinced. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are… All the people there are huge… Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

The people wailed and cried, they even wanted to go back into slavery in Egypt. They wanted to impeach Moses and Aaron! That generation of Israelites never got to enter into the promised land. They died in the wilderness until a new generation took their place.

I know a lot of people who have “grasshopperitis.” They have already decided that some task is too big, too daunting, or they are convinced they will fail. People who know they need Jesus, but they are afraid of what it will mean. Christians who won’t share their faith out of fear of people rejecting them. Grasshoppers, all of them. I want to be like Caleb who didn’t take the easy way out because he knew God was with him.

What are you afraid of? What big thing has God given you a chance to do, but you are too scared to try? Quit being a grasshopper! You may even find out you enjoy the ride!

Working on my next set… Jerry

Here's the link for my standup: https://youtu.be/r0lngLj3_D0