Laughter can be the best medicine. It won’t cost you anything, and it is one of the purest forms of medicine on the market. In times of doubt, hold on to the promises God has given you in the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When we have God in our lives, these character traits can grow in us.
PROVERBS 17:22
22 A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. AMP
PSALMS 30:11-12
11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!
NLT
In 1998, Universal Studios released a movie entitled Patch Adams, named for the man whose story it tells. If you saw the movie, you may recall that Adams chose to go back to school late in life because he wanted to help people. His only roadblock was the system. One thing he felt was necessary for the recovery of his patients was laughter – a sound often missing from the halls of hospitals around the world. He brought a personal touch and smile to patients, many of whom were dying.
It’s been over 40 years since Patch Adams founded Gesundheit, the hospital, and it still prides itself on fun. Besides offering free healthcare, two main elements of its vision are:
• All patients are treated as friends.
• The healthcare experience is infused with fun.
Job 8:21
21 God will let you laugh again; you’ll raise the roof with shouts of joy, (The Message Bible)
It sometimes can seem impossible to laugh when someone is sick, or unthinkable to joke if bad news comes our way.
Laughter offers more than a distraction from the pain. It offers healing and revitalizing medicine for our souls. In fact, laughter has been found to medically decrease stress, strengthen the immune system, relax the muscles, benefit the heart and lungs, and decrease pain by releasing endorphins which produce a sense of general well-being. Laughter is a gift from God for our souls.
As the proverbs states, laughter is good medicine, healing and rejuvenating. I, for one, am thankful that grief is not a permanent condition. A cheerful and positive outlook can make a world of difference in the most difficult situations. God can always bring joy out of tragedy and exchange mourning for laughter. It’s not always easy to smile when things are tough, but we can have a joyful heart. Even Paul, when he was in jail, found joy in his sufferings, because he trusted in the Lord and knew the best was yet to come.
Find your joy. Take your medicine … because the best is yet to come
Pastor Tony Guadagnino
Christian Love Fellowship Church
