Moralism has to eat away at real joy and humor–because the system of legalism forces you to take yourself (your image, your appearance, your reputation) very seriously. Pragmatism on the other hand will tend toward cynicism as life goes on because of the inevitable cynicism that grows. This cynicism grows from a lack of hope for the world. In the end, evil will triumph–there is no judgment or divine justice. But is we are saved by grace alone, then the very fact of our being Christians is a constant source of amazed delight. There is nothing matter-of-fact about our lives, no “of course” to our lives. It is a miracle we are Christians, and we have hope. So the gospel which creates bold humility should give us a far deeper sense of humor. We don’t have to take ourselves seriously, and we are full of hope for the world. -Tim Keller (the centrality of the gospel).
Spring in New York is nothing short of moody. She comes and goes: ruining picnics, tricking me into thinking that I can wear tank tops and turning cold just when I've decided to leave my sweater. Today she stayed sunny and warm until we reached our destination on the top of a hill - valley spread out beneath us - then she started storming while we were admiring the view. I think she found it rather humorous: the two of us hurrying home in our shorts, tank tops and flip flops. She had us fooled!
