Have you pulled any great pranks?
When it comes to pranks, I don’t have any really great ones! Quite frankly, pranks are a slippery slope. They often backfire and people can get really embarrassed and even physically hurt. I would like to tell you that I was always sensitive to this, but I am afraid I probably did some damage with the pranks I played. Fortunately, I have repressed the memories of the pranks that have been done to me, but I am sure I have emotional trauma that possibly cripples me at times!
Probably the prank that I pulled the most was hiding in the shadows or behind a corner and waiting for your grandmother to come around the corner and jumping out at her or hollering BOO to see if I could scare her. Even that lost its luster after one memorable occasion. Shortly after we were married, we lived in an apartment that had a separate laundry room. By the time you are old enough to read and understand these notes, you will probably have learned that I have an obsession with keeping cars, houses, etc locked. Your grandmother does not share that obsession. One night as she was doing the laundry, I had heard on the news that there had been a lot of burglaries in our areas and reminded her to keep the door locked. I went on an errand and when I returned the apartment was empty and the door was unlocked. I remembered she was going to do some laundry. Not too long after that I could hear her coming up our entrance stairs. So, I ran down the hallway and hid behind a nook. As she walked down the hall, she passed me, and I reached my hand around her mouth and grabbed her shoulder. I am not sure whether I remembered my warning about the burglaries, But She Did. She fell to the ground and began to cry and for about 5 minutes she could hardly breathe and all I could say repeatedly was, “I am sorry!!!!! The good news is our marriage survived!
During our years doing youth ministry, we used an assortment of crowd breakers to create a fun atmosphere. Games, skits, and funny songs were used to help create a fun atmosphere. There was one prank we used quite often. We would choose 4 or 5 volunteers who would have to leave the room while we set up a table of several balls. Each ball was covered by a large napkin or towel and the volunteer would be brought back in the room and told they would be timed to see how fast they could uncover and identify the ball. Each would come back with great enthusiasm they would start to uncover the ball and shout out the type. As a part of the prank of the prank, the last ball was actually a carefully chosen person sitting under two tables with their head sticking up, covered by a towel. We usually picked the youth pastor or the most popular male adult counselor. When the towel was removed, they were instructed to scream at the top of their lungs. (There must be something wrong with me that takes so much joy in scaring people.) The reactions were always pretty funny.
There was, however, a twist! The person under the table usually enjoyed the process of surprising their friends. The last person who came in was told about the last ball being a person. They were given a plate full of whip cream and when they pulled the towel off the head, they would push the plate into the face of the screaming prankster. There was a moment of justice when the prankster was pranked!
It’s important for you to know that there are some criteria that you should follow if you are going to pull a prank. Don’t use pranks vindictively. Don’t pick on the weak. If you are going to prank someone, find someone who has a lot of confidence and can take a joke! Not always easy to know this for sure. Be careful pulling pranks. You will understand this better after you have been pranked. Ask yourself how you would feel having this done to you!
Still, after all that, be careful. Even the strong and popular are easily embarrassed, and no prank is worth hurting someone’s feeling. I used this prank on a young man that I had known and who I knew was very popular in his youth group. He seemed like the perfect choice. He was great at scaring the people, but when he received the pie in the face, I could tell immediately the prank went a little wrong. He was very meticulous in his grooming and might have even been wearing a brand-new shirt. At that moment, I felt terrible and did my best to apologize. Fortunately, he rallied, but that prank was never as much fun! Let me reiterate, BE CAREFUL WHO YOU PRANK!
Also, if you are going to be a prankster, be ready to be pranked. In life we quite often reap what we sow!
Chances are one day you are going to be pranked. Here’s a little advice.
Maybe you were picked because you are strong and popular. Enjoy the notoriety. If you were picked for vindictive reasons, shake it off! Be strong! I hope you never have to go through this, but you will learn to be a lot more sensitive to the world of people who are victimized and hopefully you will become a champion for those who are picked on, made fun of, alienated and persecuted!
One of my favorite paintings is Jesus laughing! My mother gave it to me when I was in High School. I think she wanted me to know that Jesus had a sense of humor and enjoyed life to the fullest. Another thing she taught me about Jesus comes from Him: Luke 6:31New International Version 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. Here’s my point, don’t ever pull a prank on a person that you wouldn’t want pulled on you! Learn to laugh at yourself and not take yourself too seriously.
Here’s the good news! That young man that I pranked, is our good friend Wade Thigpen. Somehow, he found enough inner strength to forgive me and we are as close as family, FRAMILY as they say! His daughter Charlotte loves you like younger siblings. That’s no prank!