Lighten Up and Laugh!

I have not laughed so much in my life as I have in the past six months. There was a time when laughter was demeaning humor and it was set out to hurt others; me or my children. I didn't realize that it hardened my heart so much that laughter became something that wasn't good. In fact, I could not remember what a good laugh was unless I was watching a comedy. I do not remember having a good laughter in my home for a long time. There is a photo I have where my kids were at the ages of 7 and 5, or there about, and we are laughing. I can't remember what or why were laughing, but we were. I starred at that photo for a long time trying to remember. .
I participated in a small group bible course one time, "A Life of Love and Laughter" by Dennis Swanberg. I sat in there trying to remember how to laugh and why it is important to laugh. I would hear stories from other attendees about how laughter was in their house and it was good. I would sit there and cry wondering what that felt like. Growing up there was a lot of laughter, but it wasn't until I was in my twenties to thirties that I lost the joy inside.
Moving forward, I have enjoyed smiling and laughing.  I don't enjoy laughing at crude things because it's not my character. When I began listening to 91.3 Hope FM, I began listening to
  Ken Davis "Lighten Up and Live". I laugh and I enjoy his humor.  Recently I was introduced to comedian Mike Williams through A Women's Resource Center banquet. He kept saying "lighten up" and I finally understood that is okay to laugh at the good stuff, some of it was just real life issues. If we can't laugh at the real stuff, what can we laugh at? I use to think that pulling ones finger was just crude and obnoxious. Mike made the action actually funny to laugh at. I hope he comes back and brings more jokes to make me laugh even harder. 
Since God said in Proverbs that "laughter does the body good," I think it is good to laugh.  A researcher at Vanderbilt University found that 10-15 minutes of laughter is equal to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. I don't know about you but I'd rather laugh than row.
Do you want  a spoonful of sugar or laughter? I suggest clicking on one of the three links above and have a good laugh. It will change your day and your outlook on life.  Go ahead lighten up and laugh.