Solomon tells us that “a happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing” (Proverbs 17:22, AMP). God undoubtedly has a sense of humor; we need only look at some of the animals He created (it’s hard not to smile at the sight of a hippo, a monkey, or a puppy). Or think of some of the married couples you know: don’t you think God was smiling at the wedding as He looked ahead to the interaction of the wildly different personalities that will be living together?
And as if often the case, medical science is proving the wisdom of Solomon’s Spirit-inspired words. This video at WebMD says that “laughing heartily 100 times a day gives the same cardio results as working out for 20 minutes!” That works for me! And a 2007 study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that laughter and a sense of humor protects your heart. Dr. Michael Miller says that “people with heart disease responded less humorously to everyday life situations.” He goes on to explain that “they generally laughed less, even in positive situations, and they displayed more anger and hostility.” Note here that it’s not only laughter that counts; it’s also a perspective that can find humor in everyday situations. That means the couple that exemplifies “opposites attract” will do better–and be healthier–if they can step back and find the humor in their differences instead of the more typical response of frustration or anger. Note, too, that finding the humor in difficulty is often about the ability to laugh at yourself–and not at your spouse.
I try to bring humor into my life in a number of ways. Reading is important to me. This ability to find humor in difficulty is one of the reasons that I enjoy Southern fiction. Writers like Lee Smith and Kaye Gibbons are able to take tragedy and family dysfunction and make it both heart-wrenching and amusing. For instance, Gibbons’ novel Sights Unseen opens with this painful but funny statement from the narrator: “Had I known my mother was being given electroconvulsive therapy while I was dressing for school on eight consecutive Monday mornings, I do not think I could have buttoned my blouses or tied my shoes.” Of course, such humor is not for everyone, as I discovered when I was reading Sights Unseen at a restaurant several years ago. The waitress asked me about the book, and I told her it was a sad and funny novel; I then read her this opening sentence as an example of the humor. The waitress didn’t smile; she just looked at me rather oddly. So it goes. For a different kind of humor, no one can match Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice. Besides being a truly happy story, the characters are delightful and witty. And for laugh-out-loud reading, I love Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next and Nursery Crimes series.
I enjoy watching SpongBob with my kids; stupid humor, yes, but it makes me laugh. I like taking the kids to Disney movies; I enjoy many of the sitcoms on Disney and Nickelodeon. Not only are they clean (it’s hard to find adult sitcoms that don’t contain sex and profanity), but the humor is often silly and guaranteed to make me laugh. And it’s a great way to spend time with the kids. We’ve also got a growing collection of movies for the family; just last night we all watch RV. It was great to see everyone laughing.
I also like to have photos around that make me smile. The photo at the top of the post, taken last year, shows Isaac (9), Anna (7), and Haley, the newest addition to our family. Haley’s a miniature schnauzer that we got last summer. In both photos, she’s wearing a Santa suit that all three kids were photographed in as infants. The photo of Isaac, Anna, and Haley sits in a frame opposite my reading chair in my office so I can look at it all the time; the one of Haley chewing on her foot hangs in the hallway with a few other pictures of her. They both make me smile, and I never get tired of seeing them. And just so you know that I can laugh, here’s a photo of me and Isaac that we have in the living room:
Finally, I must share what prompted this post to begin with: I Can Has Cheezburger. This site is nothing but photos, mostly of cats, with captions written in Lolspeak (see photos for examples). I’ve subscribed to the feed for this site, and I check it several times a day, because it never fails to make me laugh out loud. It’s hard to choose a favorite from among the many photos, but these three have to be among my top choices:
more cat pictures
What makes you laugh? How do you bring humor into your day? Share your ideas and links in the comments below.
Charis means grace, and that’s what this blog is about: grace, in all its—sometimes messy, always magnificent—manifestations. I’m Dan Butcher, and I invite you to join me in learning to lead a Christ-centered, grace-filled life. 
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.