Heavenly Gong Show

God has a sense of humor.

He uses the Holy Spirit to lighten me up when I start taking myself too seriously. Apparently, my inner Pharisee was getting a little too dominant—too judgmental, too focused on the speck in someone else’s eye.

So what did He do?

He reminded me of The Gong Show.

It aired in the United States from 1976 to 1978. I watched it occasionally back then, and even then, I thought it was as ridiculous as the producer, Chuck Barris, intended it to be.

The premise was simple. Contestants with varying degrees of “talent” would perform in front of a panel of three celebrity judges. If the performance were acceptable, the judges would score it at the end.

But if it was bad—really bad—any one of the judges could get up, grab a mallet, and strike a large gong… ending the performance immediately.

And then it hit me.

The Apostle Paul warned that without love, we become like a clanging gong—no matter what we do.

So there I was, picturing in my mind the three “judges”—the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—seated behind a table, a mallet resting in front of them, ready to strike the heavenly gong if my performance fell short.

But then something even more revealing happened.

I didn’t need to wait for them.

I picked up the mallet myself.

And I struck the gong.

In that moment, something changed.

Love replaced judgment.
Joy replaced irritation.
Peace settled in.

I saw others differently—not through the lens of self-righteousness, but through compassion.

The truth is, some days I’m closer to hearing that gong than others.

But on days like today, I recognize it early. I adjust. I change course before the correction needs to come from anywhere else.

And I do it with a smile.

Because God doesn’t just correct—He teaches. And sometimes, He even uses humor to do it.

So maybe the goal isn’t to perform perfectly.

But to stay aware enough… humble enough… to recognize when we’re off.

And to respond in a way that honors Him.

We may never reflect His character perfectly.

But we certainly don’t want to be a clanging gong.

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“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV)