Today I read Ecclesiastes 2 and I was thinking about the first two verses about laughter and mirth. A few weeks ago I was thinking about the covenant to avoid loud laughter and trying to do some research on it. Surprisingly, in all of the gospel library on the LDS website, there is nothing really about loud laughter, what it is and how it differentiates from regular laughter. In speaking with others, I have been told that it means to laugh in inappropriate places and too loudly. But can the volume of ones laughter really be a sin? I don't think so.
But there are many things that are inappropriate to laugh at. When I was a missionary, my companion and I were driving down the street one day and we saw a young man on the ground on his face with papers in the air all around him and on the ground. He had clearly tripped and fallen down. My companion started laughing and I scolded him telling him that someone else's misfortune is not something to find humor in. This is what I think of when I think of loud laughter. I think it has to do with finding humor in the right things. When someone has trouble in life, it is not a thing to find funny. But a good clean joke can bring joy into people's lives. I do think that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor, but I do not think He finds enjoyment or mirth in other people's unhappiness. I think He finds humor in the appropriate ways and places. As always, we should model ourselves after Him. Until tomorrow.
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