A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 NIV

You do not have to go far to find the benefits of laughter to your health.  A simple internet search results in numerous benefits:

• Reduces stress
• Decreases pain
• Improves mood
• Eases anxiety and fear

These are just a few of the results that stuck out to me.  However, the idea of laughter being good for your health did not originate with doctors and scientists today, but rather with the Great Physician – God.

God knows how our bodies react to joy and laughter as opposed to sadness and despair.  He created us in such a way that a cheerful heart, laughter, is good for our health.

I saw this first hand with my oldest just the other day.  She is away at school and called in tears.  Her world was falling apart.  She was having issues at school, with friends as well as personal struggles.  As a mom, it is difficult to hear or see your child in pain of any kind.  After hearing her out, I quickly turned things around by getting her to laugh.  I didn’t want to diminish her feelings, but I did want her to step back and shift her focus.  Getting her to laugh broke the negative downward spiral she was in.  It allowed her to realize that the situation was not as bleak as she initially saw it.

Laughing did not wipe away the problems and issues she was facing, but it shifted the focus from pain to joy.  She began to see it in a different light.

You and I must not let our circumstances crush our spirits.  Instead, we must choose to let the joy of the Lord fill us.  Therefore, take some time to laugh.  The Great Physician prescribes it.

Do you have a cheerful heart?  I encourage you to look for ways to incorporate laughter and joy into each and every day.  I would love to hear how you include joy and laughter into your life.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You today and ask that You bring about true joy into my life.   I know that I cannot control the storms that come into my life, but I do have a choice on how I will respond to them.   I know that You are the Great Physician and Your prescription for each one of us is to have a cheerful heart.   I pray that You will help me to incorporate that into my day no matter what circumstances I am facing.  I also pray that You would use me to bring joy and sunshine into the lives of those around me.  In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.