The second night the kids and I cozied up again. Germán, in the bedroom below us, heard our hilarity. Later, when I went down, he smiled and said, "You've been holding a circus up there!" Noe, Micah, Eli and I had snuggled into the sofas for a laugh fest, while their parents listened in.
What were we doing that caused such mirth? Well, I have a book* that lists a large number of "blue laws", laws from long ago that, although irrelevant now, are still on the books officially. So we decided to read parts of it. Some of them are just funny, some hilarious, some completely illogical! On many, we wondered why in the world they needed a certain law; for example, "A horse is not allowed to eat a fire hydrant in ___." (Had one tried to eat a hydrant before? Or had they been made of oats?) Some were amusing, but easy to understand, like "If you are riding through ___, your horse had better be wearing diapers."
Some of the laws seemed to be rather biased, and unfair, like: "It is against the law to ride down the street on an ugly horse in ___." Or "If a frog's croaking keeps you awake at night in ___ you can have the frog arrested." (Poor frog!) How about: "A husband cannot kick his wife out of bed in ____ , even if her feet are cold; however, a wife can kick her husband out of bed without provocation." Then there's this one: "A ___ law forbids housewives to break more than three dishes a day." (Some of us are, by nature, butterfingers.) How about: "You may not sleep in a refrigerator if you are in __." (Maybe it's a really hot night!) And "The only game you are allowed to shoot from a moving car in Tennessee is whales."
A couple of laws regarding the justice system: "In the state of ___ it is illegal to require a dead person to serve on a jury." This case is delightful: "A lawyer in ___ asked a criminal court judge for permission to call in a psychiatrist to examine a jury member in a robbery case. The request was denied because there is no statutory requirement that a juror be sane."
Then there are the illogical ones that make one question what the legislators had been drinking. Try this: "When two trains approach each other at a crossing, both shall come to a full stop and neither shall start up again until the other has gone." Or "Residents in ___ are required to fill bathtubs and unplug them simultaneously." And "Boarding a plane in ___ when it's in flight is illegal."
One of my favorites: "___ passed a law in 1936 stating that a dogcatcher must notify dogs of impounding by posting a notice for three consecutive days on a tree in the city park and along a public road running through the park." ( Do they propose literacy programs for the dogs so they can read the notices?)
Just a couple of chicken laws: "Hens in ___ cannot lay eggs before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m." And "In ___ , it's illegal for a chicken to cross the road." (Sort of messes up the riddle...)
Finally, a couple that make one wonder: "If you live in the state of ___ , you can grow as tall as you want." (What a relief!) And "It's against the law in ___ to do anything that's against the law." (Duh!) *****************************************
I've been thinking about God's laws, which are never biased, illogical, irrelevant or unfair. Man-made laws can be all of that, besides absolutely ludicrous at times. (I wonder what God thinks of all those blue laws? Maybe He laughs right along with us!) And He has a reason, a very good reason, for every single law that He's placed in the working of the universe, in our world and in our lives. His make sense all of the time...maybe we don't always understand them, but that doesn't mean they aren't logical and fair...even beneficial!!
The psalmist said, "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." (Psalm 119:7,8)
If His love so permeates His laws, I'd say our best response would be, "Open my eyes that I may see the wonderful things in your law." (Psalm 119:18) What do you think?
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*Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions and Strange Statutes (Sheryl Lindsell-Roberts, K.R. Hobbie, Ted LeValliant & Marcell Theroux) (emphases mine)
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