Cheer Up:) - Proverbs 17:22

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

I very seriously doubt this is the first time you've heard this. I doubt even more that you haven't already experienced it. So...today's VOW is short and sweet.

Find something to laugh at. Science has proven over and over again the benefits of laughing and being cheerful. God knew it a long time ago and was encouraging his people to be joyful long before the science caught up with it. Just a few thoughts:

• But don't let Satan co-opt and cheapen what God designed us to do. Look for the real thing. Veer away from the profane, the crude, the ugly. Those things are cheap imitations and lessen the joy that you actually gain because there is the feeling of guilt associated with the laughter. Why mess up such a good gift?
• Give someone else something to laugh or smile about. I think about Monte Bennett. The man was always armed with corny jokes. I don't know many people who actually thought many of the jokes were all that good...but I know for a fact that the way Monte presented them and played on the cheesiness of it brought a smile to your face even if the humor of the joke never would! I'm sure Monte just enjoyed laughing himself...but I also think, whether he intended it this way or not, that it was an act of service. Put a few jokes in your pocket and pass it on! :)
• Sometimes the absolute funniest things that happen...happen to you. So open yourself up to laughing at yourself. Too often we get caught in our pride instead of laughing about a mistake or something that we think makes us look foolish in front of others. But think about it...when someone messes up, do you like them better if they pridefully try to cover the accident? Nobody does! But if they begin laughing at themselves and invite you to do it, you walk away from the incident liking that person even more! If you mess up...have a good laugh and endear yourself to the people you think are laughing at you by giving them permission to laugh with you. They'll love you for it and you'll have given them the gift of laughter without even intending to!

What did the digital clock say to the Grandfather clock?

"Look, Grandpa, no hands!"

Alright that's enough reading. Now go find something wholesome to laugh at and when you do, use your laughter as a trigger to thank God...even for something as small as a good joke.

and leave your best joke(s) in the comments by clicking the button below.