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The Devotional Diva - Laughter: The Best Medicine
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The Devotional Diva - Laughter: The Best Medicine
By Barbara Gobbs
Executive Assistant and Ministry Partner - Pocket Full of Change Ministries
“A joyful heart is good medicine but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
I’ve taken a lot medicine in my life that did not make me laugh. I’ve taken thyroid medication to correct an overactive condition. As a result, I was one of the lucky few to develop the “one in a million” chance of some serious side effects.
If any one came at me with a needle and started a sentence with, “This will only pinch a little,” I knew I was doomed. I refuse to take flu shots, because I am certain I’ll get the flu. It’s a good thing I haven’t traveled to Africa, because I’d die from the malaria shots for sure! Medicine seldom makes me laugh.
Our nation is experiencing some un-laughable times. There is a great deal of uncertainty about our finances and our future. It’s serious and requires a large amount of consideration on our part. It invokes questions like what are we going to do? Where can we tighten our belts? What will I do if I lose my job? Isn’t there a pill we can take to ease the pain? Truthfully, it’s not a laughing matter.
My cohorts in writing have addressed the situation in their chronicles. Our pastor has addressed it from the pulpit. Their advice was steady, strong and true. Trust in the Lord. Rely on Hs faithfulness. Stay steady in your faith. We’d be wise to follow that advice. But I have some of my own to add to the mix.
When the going gets tough, the tough should get laughing. After all, the opposing comment from Proverbs says a broken spirit dries up the bones. Well, I refuse to enable osteoporosis!
Laughter is good medicine for you and your body. No sugar required – as it never tastes bad going down! Side effects may include watery eyes, pain in side from bending over in hysteria, and the need to cross your legs if you are over a certain age. In fact, I once heard Marilyn Meberg (Women of Faith) state that the vibration from laughing is good for certain organs. So go ahead, put a quiver in your liver!
Life is too short not to take seriously. Life is a serious business. However, it is also too short to not laugh. The Bible speaks often. In fact, if you are a believer, you should be showing joy as part of your fruit!
To start you out laughing this morning, here is something I copied this from the internet.
A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.
They boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.
The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?” They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?” Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"
The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"
The youngest brother gasped for breath and replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time dude. God is missing and they think WE did it!"
I bet you just laughed! Come on! I know you can do something today to make yourself, or someone else laugh. You could even try laughing at yourself! It works for me all the time. There is humor in our life because God put it there and tells us it’s heart-healthy.
Look at it this way – laughter carries no co-pay and it doesn’t care if you have insurance or not. It’s accessible to anyone regardless of gender or age. It doesn’t care about your circumstances. Laughter only wants to make you smile! Please be advised laughter is known to be contagious – do not use sparingly.
Praying that God will give you the giggles!
Barbara
Barbara Gobbs is a ministry partner with and the Executive Assistant of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information, to schedule a speaker for an event, or to request a newsletter, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden, Publicist at 904 316-5462. This ministry is supported by donations. If this ministry helps you or others, and God calls you to help support this work, you can make a donation to Pocket Full of Change Ministry at POB 51205, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32240.
© Pocket Full of Change Ministries
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