Joy is the Best Medicine

I've heard all my life that laughter is good medicine.  There is even scientific evidence that shows that laughter boosts your immune system, reduces stress, eases pain, causes your muscles to relax, and prevents heart disease.  It eases anxiety and improves your mood.  When you laugh with others it strengthens your relationships, it attracts others to you, enhances teamwork, creates strong bonds, and defuses conflict.  So who wouldn't want to take that prescription?

Well, sometimes we just don't feel like laughing.  Sometimes we are in the low places of life that I wrote about last week.  When we have just received news that causes us to feel like our hearts have been ripped out, when we have just lost our job, when we just got a bad report from the oncologist (fill in your worst nightmare here) we don't feel like laughing. 

And sometimes, we put up a good front.  We become very good at wearing a mask that hides the hurts, habits, and hangups that are actually eating us up inside, making us miserable.  Proverbs 14:13 says, "Laughter might hide your sadness. But when the laughter is gone, the sadness remains." (Easy-to-Read Version)

That's why I have said so many times that there is a distinct difference between happiness and joy.  Happiness depends upon our circumstances.  Joy transcends our circumstances.  It is possible to have profoundly deep joy, even when we are in the middle of our darkest, most horrific times in life.  Even though we may not be happy mentally and emotionally, we can know that deep inside, our hearts are filled with joy and a cheerful spirit that can overflow into the crisis that surrounds us, lifting our spirit above the chaos and catastrophe. 

So if laughter is good medicine, but laughter is "out of stock" on our imaginary drug store shelf, why not try the BEST medicine, JOY, taken liberally several times each day, mixed with discipline, obedience, prayer, and faith?  Here is a sample of what God's word says about joy, a cheerful heart, and healing:

• A joyful heart helps healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 (Common English Bible)
• Oh Lord, your discipline is good and leads to life and health. Oh, heal me and make me live!  Isaiah 38:16 (The Living Bible)
• But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall.  Malachi 4:2 (Good News Translation)
• I will praise you, Lord!  You saved me from the grave and kept my enemies from celebrating my death.  I prayed to you, Lord God, and you healed me, saving me from death and the grave.  Your faithful people, Lord, will praise you with songs and honor your holy name. . .  At night we may cry, but when morning comes we will celebrate.  Psalm 30:1-4, 5b (Contemporary English Version)
• You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;  you have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy.  Psalm 30:11 (Good News Translation)

The great thing about The Great Physician's prescription of joy, is that it is not just curative, but it is also preventive, helping you to avoid spiritual sickness and weakness in the first place.  I hope you will fill His prescription for yourself, take it several times a day, every day for the rest of your life.  Keep your prescription filled by reading God's word every day.  The verses I gave here are just a small portion of what He wants to teach you about joy and good spiritual health.

My prayer this week, for you and for myself is this, taken from Psalm 13:3, 5-6 (New International Reader's Version):  Lord my God, look at me and answer me.  Give me new life, or I will die.  I trust in your faithful love.  My heart is filled with joy because you will save me.  I will sing to the Lord.  He has been so good to me.

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