God, we believe, accepts us, accepts all men, unconditionally, warts and all. Laughter is the purest from of our response to God’s acceptance of us. For when I laugh at myself I accept myself and when I laugh at other people in genuine mirth I accept them. Self-acceptance in laughter is the very opposite of self-satisfaction or pride. For in laughter I accept myself not because I am some sort of super-person, but precisely because I am not. There is nothing funny about a super-person. There is everything funny about a man who thinks he is. In laughing at my own claims to importance or regard I receive myself in a sort of loving forgiveness which is an echo of God’s forgiveness of me. In much conventional contrition there is a selfishness and pride which are scarcely hidden. In our desperate self-concern we blame ourselves for not being the super-persons we think we really are. But in laughter we sit light to ourselves. That is why laughter is the purest form of our response to God.

—H.A. Williams, Tensions

Do you see faith manifesting itself here in Williams’ piece? For those of us who can laugh at ourselves in a self-deprecating manner, Williams argues that this is our faith shining through. Why? Because it reflects our faith that God accepts us, warts and all. Our self-deprecating laughter also reflects a genuine understanding of the human condition. When we laugh at ourselves, we acknowledge that we are the “cracked pots” we really are and tacitly acknowledge we need God’s help if we are to become the kind of persons he created us to be.