Proverbs 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
I inherited a distinctive trait from my Grandma Creech (besides making good pie crusts). Sometimes she laughed so hard when something struck her funny bone that she couldn’t squeeze out even one coherent word. Half the time we didn’t know why she was laughing, but laughter, as you know, is contagious. So we all joined in the guffaws and giggles.
Last week we visited my brother and his family in Ohio, and I experienced a couple of those laughing jags. My brother had gotten a book for Christmas called Dad Jokes. He started reading a few, and by the time he got to “What do you call somebody with no nose and no body?” “Nobody knows!” I was a goner. Every time I tried to say something, belly laughs sabotaged my words. By this time, all my brother had to do was start to snicker, and we were laughing ourselves into silliness.
Did that ever feel good.
Scripture tells us a joyful heart is good medicine. And numerous studies over the years have affirmed the emotional as well as physical benefits of a hearty laugh. Yet many believe comedy in today’s culture has hit an all-time low. Comedians aren’t as funny or creative as they once were. Crude jokes and bitter sarcasm have replaced the kind of humor that helps us find commonality in the absurdities of life.
I believe a culture that loses its ability to laugh will soon have nothing to laugh about.
I’m certainly not denying the sadness and grief we experience. For some, each day is a reminder of how unfair and disappointing life can be. But when we allow ourselves to dwell on all the negativity, it’s like refusing the cure that could keep our bones from drying up.
One writer describes laughter as the entity that makes life beautiful. I agree. Today I want to encourage you to embrace, as comedian Michael, Jr. would say, the funny. Let God’s gift of laugher release you, refresh you, and invite you into new perspectives on life. Don’t let a crushed spirit shape you. Take the good medicine. Laugh so hard you can’t talk, laugh so hard you wet your pants, laugh and let your joy lighten the load of everyone around you.