The Best Medicine

Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)

A joyful heart is good medicine,

    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

When you think back on your favorite memories of your kids, how many include laughter and joy? Maybe it was their first time eating spaghetti (followed by a much-needed bath) or their joy when they received their first pet! Or maybe they said something that caused everyone around to break down in laughter and tears to roll down your cheeks.

Kids love to laugh and they love to make others laugh. Kids love to spread joy! As adults, we get caught up in the stress of our day, but kids have a way of putting those stressors in perspective. Laughing seems to make life easier.

When those uncontrollable belly-laughs happen, the stresses of the world roll away and we often feel a sense of release. Perhaps that’s what Proverbs 17:22 refers to when it talks of laughter as a good medicine. Our sapped strength can be re-energized by a good dose of laughter.

As we read todays verse we see that it presents a dichotomy of emotions. On one side, a cheerful heart is good medicine, while the other side presents a crushed spirit that dries up the bones.

Let’s start with the happier side. A cheerful heart does not mean LOL, but it does mean “a glad heart.” In a word, it refers to happiness. This emotion becomes a healing element in our bodies. We may feel stronger. God, our Great Physician, uses joy to lower our blood pressure and fight stress.

The other side of the coin is a crushed spirit. It may reflect in the emotion of sadness or sorrow. It’s a depression that can’t be cured with trite words. This emotion dries up the bones. We feel withered and drained.

God’s Word gives numerous examples of how God rescues people from the pit of a crushed spirit. Job suffered tremendous loss. David cried out his heart to God. Even Jesus sweat drops of blood in anguish before His death.

Jesus said that He wants our joy to be complete. Share your emotions with Jesus today. Let Him lift your crushed spirit and fill you with joy.

Dear Lord, help us to no matter what we face not to let it crush us. Give us the joy that only You can give. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Joy of the Lord

Psalm 126:2 (ESV)

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

    and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations,

    “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Kids and laughter tend to go hand-in-hand. In fact, author Mignon McLaughlin said, "Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun." We love to hear about the funny things kids say. Like the time when Will, age 4, was asked, “What is your doctor’s name?” He replied, “Dr. Appointment.” Makes sense, doesn’t it?

We think the world needs more joy and laughter! In fact, you may have heard the phrase, “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” That phrase comes from Nehemiah 8:10. Do you remember the context of that verse? God’s people had returned from exile in Babylon and they gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate with a big feast. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks…This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” No longer in exile, the people were delirious with joy!

Many scholars believe that Psalm 126:2, the verse we read today, was written about this return from exile. The people’s mouths were filled with laughter and their tongues sang for joy. This revival was so apparent that the unbelieving nations declared that “the Lord has done great things for them!”

The same is true today! Joy and laughter are contagious and those around us notice our countenance. We can share the “joy of the Lord” when we know God, abide in Him, and are filled with His Spirit. Jesus wasn’t a glum person. He is described as a groom enjoying a wedding feast! We can follow His example and let our joy shine!

Dear Lord, we thank You for the joy in our life. Give us the opportunity to share it with someone today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

That's once

Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)

 A joyful heart is good medicine,

    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

I came across a joke that'll surely make the ladies laugh out loud -- and you too men -- that is, if you know what's good for you, lol!

A small-town couple was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and their long, loving relationship had long been the talk of the town. For this special occasion, a local newspaper reporter paid them a visit to inquire as to the secret of their happy marriage.

"Well," explained the husband, "it really all goes back to our honeymoon. We visited the Grand Canyon and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by pack mule. We hadn't gone too far when my wife's mule stumbled. My wife quietly said 'That's once.' We proceeded a little farther when the mule stumbled again. Once more my wife quietly spoke: 'That's twice.' We hadn't gone a half-mile when the mule stumbled a third time. My wife promptly removed a revolver from her purse, hopped down off the beast, and shot the mule dead. I began to protest over her treatment of the mule when she looked at me and quietly said, 'That's once.'''

I hope you liked that. Now, I've heard that children laugh 300 to 400 times a day while we adults laugh only a mere 15! Believe it or not, experts say that laughing aids digestion, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, boosts the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins which are the body's natural painkillers, heals broken relationships and produces a general sense of well-being!

Let's not take everything so very seriously! Let's start laughing at ourselves a little, and laughing at our enemy's attempts to keep us burdened and oppressed! God has our victory --always! And there's so much work to be done!

Dear Lord, help us to be so filled with joy that laughter burst forth out of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Laughter is Cheap Medicine

Psalm 32:11 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;

    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

I read about a couple who works in the pharmaceutical industry. He is a sales representative and she is a pharmacist. When asked what they do for a living, he is quick to reply, "She makes drugs and I sell `em."

I believe it was Lord Byron who said, "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." And researchers are finding that to be true – quite literally.

A woman diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis wrote to me and talked about how painful the disease had become. Debra said that no drugs would touch the devastating pain. "At times I prayed to die because I did not think I could go on this way," she said. But in two and a half years she weaned herself from most of her medication, which had reached a high of 21 pills a day. This is how she did it.

"I began seeing a doctor who gave me the most important prescription that I ever could have received," she said. "He excused himself from the room. I watched him walking back and forth in the hall; he seemed to be in deep thought."

The doctor came back in with this prescription: he told Debra to get some funny movies and to begin laughing. If she didn't feel like laughing, then she should smile. If she didn't feel like smiling, she should smile anyway. He said that it would increase endorphins in her brain and help with her pain. In other words, fake it until you make it, like they say.

She did just as he suggested. She laughed when she could. She smiled when she couldn't laugh. She smiled whether she felt like it or not. Her children teased her about her fake smile, but she told them that it was going to get rid of her pain.

And here's the amazing thing: it did. Of course, not all of it, but a great deal of her pain eventually dissipated and in time, what was left became manageable – without all of the drugs.

Today, Debra laughs easily and is never seen without her smile. She says that she would not even feel normal without it.

It's true that laughter really is cheap medicine. It's a prescription anyone can afford. And best of all, you can fill it right now.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would be able to smile and laugh at things that happen in our life. Help us to share that joy with those around us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Have You Laughed Today?

    Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

A cheerful heart is good medicine,

    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

"She who laughs, lasts." At least that was Theresa of Avila's philosophy. Theresa, a Spanish nun who founded the reformed order of the Carmelites in 1562 used to look for novices who knew how to laugh, eat and sleep. She believed that if they ate heartily they were healthy, if they slept well they were more than likely free of serious sin, and if they laughed, they had the necessary disposition to survive a difficult life.

Abraham Lincoln must have also known that laughter is good medicine. In writing about Lincoln's Civil War years, author Richard Hanser says that on September 22, 1862, the War Cabinet was summoned to the White House for a special session. Lincoln was reading a book as everyone came in. Secretary of War Stanton later said this of the meeting:

"Finally the president turned to us and said, 'Gentlemen, did you ever read anything of Artimus Ward? Let me read a chapter that is very funny.'"

The president then read aloud a skit called "Highhanded Outrage at Utica." Stanton was furious, but Lincoln read on and, at the end, he laughed heartily. "Gentlemen," he asked, "why do you not laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me day and night, if I did not laugh, I should die. And you need this medicine as much as I do." It was at this same session that the president pulled a paper from his tall hat and read aloud the now immortalized Emancipation Proclamation.

He's right -- we may likely die without frequent and sustained doses of laughter. After all, they who laugh, last.

Dear Lord, help us to see the good things in life and face them with laughter.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Facing Life with Laughter

Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)

A happy heart makes the face cheerful,

    but heartache crushes the spirit.

Did you follow the 1987 football season when the Denver Broncos played the Cleveland Browns for the AFC title?

Less than two minutes remained in the game and Cleveland was ahead by a touchdown. The Broncos had just fumbled the ball out of bounds on their own 1/2 yard line. Hostile Cleveland fans were already throwing dog biscuits onto the field and celebrating a sure Cleveland win.

While the announcer was discussing who Cleveland would play in the Super Bowl and Denver fans were nursing bruised egos, the Broncos huddled in their own end zone. Quarterback John Elway was known for miraculous wins, but this situation was almost impossible.

All-pro left tackle Keith Bishop looked around the huddle at his team-mates, took a deep breath and said, "Hey, now we got them right where we want them!" Tense silence was broken by laughter.

One player laughed so hard he fell down! Somehow the joke lent perspective to an absurd situation and a sense of calm confidence replaced anxiety.

What followed has been dubbed the annals of football lore as The Drive. In less than two minutes, John Elway and the Broncos drove the length of the field and tied the game with just seconds left.

They won in overtime and went on to the 1988 Super Bowl (which, judged by the Broncos poor showing, was itself a kind of joke...).

An amazing shift occurred in the huddle that day. Laughter prepared them to bring their best to a demanding situation as nervous, negative energy was swept away in the absurdity of the moment.

Laughter has a way of creating positive change in any tense and stressful circumstance. But, as Mark Twain said, laughter is the greatest weapon that we humans possess and it's the one we use the least. Daily, we have countless opportunities to use the power of laughter to make a positive difference.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would have a spirit of joy. Help us face the things of life with positive attitude. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Take Time to Laugh

Definitions







Adolescent: A teenager who acts like a baby when you don't treat him like an adult

Babysitter: Someone you pay to watch your television and eat your food



Boy: A noise with dirt on it



Brat: A child that acts like your own but belongs to someone else



Coffee: Break fluid



Dieting: Mind over platter



Diplomacy: The art of letting other people have your own way



Earthquake: A topographical error



Fairy Tale: A horror story to prepare children for the newspapers


Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries



Grandparent: A grandchild's press secretary



Honeymoon: The brief period of time between "I do" and "You'd better!"



Jury: Twelve people who determine which client has the better lawyer



Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math



Millionaire: A billionaire after his taxes are paid



Multitasking: Screwing up several things at once



Nostalgia: Living in the past lane


Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark



Subdivision: A neighborhood where they cut down all the trees and then name streets after them



Tater-Tots: Children of couch potatoes



Will:A dead giveaway






Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”


-Psalm 126:2 (ESV)






Dear Lord we pray that we will take the time to laugh and enjoy life. In Jesus’ name, amen.