52. Encourage a Laugh

Laughter is one of the best ways to make a difference in someone’s life. Laughter makes us forget all else in our lives. To hear the sound of pure laughter is one of the best sounds our ears will ever hear.

Encourage a laugh. Ask your family to be on the lookout for clean, funny jokes or comics. These can be found online on Christian joke web sites and sometimes in newspapers or magazines. Also, jokes they hear that can be written down are another possibility. Does your six-year-old love knock-knock jokes? Do silly one-liners hold a special place in the heart of your four-year-old? Does your husband love that new Christian comic strip? Do you have several clean e-mailed jokes that could be used? When everyone has collected enough jokes, paste them into a notebook. Present your joke book to someone who needs a good laugh.

Up for Discussion

To whom did you choose to present your joke book? How did it help someone who was otherwise sad? Why do you think God created laughter within us?

What was your favorite joke you included in the joke book? Did you or anyone in your family make up any jokes?

Proverbs 15:13 states, “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.” How can a happy heart improve all areas of someone’s life? How can a good clean joke contribute to this endeavor? Why should we find our humor only in clean jokes?

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

—Job 8:21