A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine

 “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)

Last weekend a staff member commented that it was good to hear laughter in the congregation during the service. She believes it attracts more people to our church when they hear how happy and fun we are. I agree with her! When we count our blessings here at PCM we have lots to be thankful for and show it with joyful laughter.

"The power of humor can transform heads and hearts," said Michael Farrell, author and publisher. He believes God gave us a whole system of facial muscles designed just for laughing; so we must use them! We are created to laugh! Yet, life is a mix of tragedy and comedy. Soren Kierkegaard wrote: “Wherever there is life there is contradiction and wherever there is contradiction the comical is present.”

As our church seeks to connect more people to Jesus Christ, we can do so with our facial muscles to greet visitors and old friends with smiles and laughter. People are automatically attracted to laughter when it is positively based on God’s good humor. Plus, a light-hearted look at life can give us hope and optimism in times of trouble.

God had a plan when human creation was blessed with the ability to laugh. Laughter lowers your blood pressure, improves your digestion, and increases the serotonin in your brain that enhances your mood. One of my favorite sounds is a baby’s belly laugh when playing peek-a-boo. I find it impossible to not laugh along with the baby I hear laughing. Humor is contagious! (I can't help but laugh when I look at this photo of my son, Ian, who was laughing at me when I took this picture.)

As a Psychiatric Nurse Therapist/Pastor, I must share with you more of the mental health benefits of humor. Laughter adds joy and zest to life, eases anxiety and fear, relieves stress, improves mood, and enhances resilience. A dose of laughter is important to have each day. Look up a new joke-a-day on the internet and start your day with a laugh. Share the good medicine by making one of your daily goals to make another person laugh heartily and positively.

Strive to see the funny side of tension, disagreements, disappointments, or surprising changes in plans. Marriage counselors say that one of the key qualities to a successful marriage is when one of the couple is able to step back and diffuse an argument with genuine positive laughter or lightheartedness. Not to ignore the problem, but to give a new perspective on it that changes the tone from hopeless to hopeful.

God created us to enjoy three L’s:  to laugh and love and live together. Angela Macnamara suggests it is best to seek the lighter side of life in all circumstances. She said, “There is no period of life that does not have its own silver lining.”

As we become more “silver,” over time, let us keep the gift of laughter active to enhance our faith and mental health status as we respond to the contradictions and calamities of life on earth. (For more on the health benefits of laughter see: http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm)