Have you ever wondered if Jesus told jokes? What about the disciples? Did they sit around and laugh at the mistakes they made while preaching?

I like to think Jesus had a great sense of humor and irony. After all, He rode into town on a donkey. He put mud in someone’s eye to heal them. God made a donkey speak to Balaam (insert Mr. Ed joke here).

If you find yourself unhappy and unable to laugh, it’s time to change a few things.

  1. LOOK FOR THE GOOD. Stop finding fault in everything around you. If you are constantly pointing out what’s wrong with everything, STOP IT! Celebrate what IS working.
  2. PRACTICE LAUGHING. Everything gets better with practice. Check out this article on laughing and health.
  3. STOP BEING SO SERIOUS. Nobody likes a buzz kill. n-o-b-o-d-y. Find the joy in laughing at your own mistakes.
  4. HAVE FUN. No matter what, find a way to have fun. Take a break. Pull a prank on someone. Watch a comedian. Become a comedian. Pull a prank on a comedian. Anything. Just have fun.
  5. FIND GOD. Don’t get worn out, depressed, stressed or feel alone. Get in God’s presence and let His joy become your strength.
  6. LOVE. PRAY. GIVE. If you will become a friend, you will have friends. If you show love, it will come back to you. If you pray and listen for God, He will speak to you. If you become generous, you will find joy. Because giving is more fun than you could ever imagine.

There are many, many, many more ways to find laughter and joy. But, don’t let a day go by that you don’t have a great big belly laugh. Go on, you deserve it.

If you are looking for a great source of humor that pokes fun at religion, take a look at Stuff Christians Like. I read it every day and you should too. It helps me not take myself so seriously.