Laughter Is Great Medicine

1. Joy Heals

“A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength” (Proverbs 17:22, NCV)

Author and speaker Barbara Johnson says that “One laugh = 3 Tbs. of oat bran.” For many years, we lived in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area where hospitals and doctors developed “laughter programs.” I love it! Doctors are actually prescribing laughter. Why? Because they have discovered what scripture has said for thousands of years - that laughter heals! The documented benefits of laughter are:

· Exercise for lungs

· Increased circulation

· Controlled pain

· Reduced tension

· Strengthened immune system

In other words, God created us to illustrate the truth that if we laugh more days, we will have more days to laugh! Joy heals!

2. Joy Makes Us Strong

Joy, humor, and laughter all cultivate inner strength that operates beyond our own human abilities. The joy of the Lord in us will produce His strength through us! The words of Nehemiah say it beautifully, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV).

Several years ago, one of my friends underwent a mastectomy. My friend was out of work for months undergoing reconstruction surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments. All in all, it was a horrendous ordeal. She was not known for her inner strength and often seemed fragile and frail in her handling of tough circumstances. Her battle with cancer was by far the greatest challenge of her life. Anticipating her return to work, her co-workers were a little tense, wondering just how this experience would affect her personally, as well as her ability to handle the stress of her job. They got their answer on her first day back at work. My friend walked in smiling, wearing a poster-board sign around her neck. On the sign was a huge black arrow pointing down. The sign read, “It was this one!” Everyone erupted in laughter and the tension dissipated. Yes, joy and laughter make us strong!

3. Joy Makes the Ordinary Special

Someone said, “If you have to move ten inches from where you are now to be happy, then you will never be truly happy.” We need to celebrate the ordinary things in life because it is against the backdrop of the ordinary that God’s work becomes extraordinary. As we celebrate the ordinary - as we celebrate the little things in life - we build a life of joy! We don’t have trouble celebrating the big events in life. Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries – these are all celebrations we anticipate and execute with great planning and forethought. We tend to place unrealistic expectations on these celebrations because there is no daily celebration of life. So, celebrate, my friends! Celebrate Tuesdays, half birthdays, haircuts, new jeans, and report cards. Celebrate the day braces go on – and especially the day they come off. Celebrate if Dad or Mom comes home early. My husband is an absolute master at finding joy and laughter in the ordinary and often mundane things of life. Now before I go any further, you need to know that I have his full permission to share the following illustration. I believe his exact words were, “Go for it!”

Several years ago, our family was flying to Texas for the Christmas holidays. Before I could even begin packing, a mountain of laundry had to be done. My sweet husband offered to help. After the first few loads, we turned on the television to watch a Christmas special. Settling into the couch sitting under a wall of windows, we folded load after load of clothes. It was midnight, and Dan was bored – a dangerous combination. The drier buzzed, and out he went to retrieve the final load. He came back into the room wearing a “hat,” which turned out to be a pair of my red underwear. I burst out laughing – and so did the people outside our family room windows! 

Each year, our church youth decorated Christmas trees and delivered them to the older members of our congregation - a wonderful act of service. They also had a contest to see who could produce the ugliest tree, which was always delivered to the pastor’s home on Christmas Eve. However, since we would be out of town on Christmas Eve, they had chosen this particular night to deliver the prized tree. Outside our windows stood youth workers, youth, and the youth pastor – laughing hysterically. (Some of them are still in counseling today!) That ordinary chore has become a favorite family story. Joy and laughter make the ordinary special. I want it all! I want everything God has for me! I want to celebrate life! But I often get so wrapped up in the urgent things that I lose sight of the important things. A celebratory attitude is slowly siphoned from our souls by the countless “joy robbers” the enemy sends our way. Guard your heart and mind. Refuse to surrender your God-given joy to anyone or anything.

“Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT).

Not long ago, my husband said something that was profoundly simple and yet life-changing for me. “My first prayer each day is my confession to God that I want everything He has for me. I want it all!” I can just see the Father’s face smiling at those words from a faithful heart. Our thirst for God pleases Him. Our hunger for God’s richest blessings brings Him pleasure. God wants us to thrive – not merely survive life. A continual feast of joy – with every breath we take – that is His plan. Laughter and joy are treasures from God, valuable to us for many reasons.

4. Joy Eliminates Tension

Laughter and joy can take a tense situation and disarm it! When I prepared my first lesson on joy and laughter, Dan was out of town. The kids were young, and bedtime was a major hurdle. I knew that several hours of study were ahead of me and was desperately trying to get both children into bed and asleep in order to complete the lesson. I had sweetly – very sweetly - explained that I needed their help. I had made it very clear that I had to prepare a lesson, and they could really help me by going to sleep. They were not cooperating!

Before I go any further, let me just say I am fully aware that my behavior that night did not meet the criteria for being a successful mom. I have my moments. With each giggle and whisper from the children who were supposed to be asleep, my frustration level rose higher and higher. Finally, I marched into their rooms, hands on hips, icy stare in place, and demanded silence! My son’s innocent question was a showstopper, “Mom, what is your lesson about?” Through gritted teeth, I growled, “Joy and laughter, Son.” The words just dangled in mid-air, exposing my absurd heart motive. Jered looked at me. I looked at him. We both turned to look at Danna. Like a volcano erupting, laughter spilled out of our hearts, washing away the tension while covering the circumstance with joy. When we had laughed it all out, they went to sleep, and I finished my lesson on joy - learned at the feet of my children. Many times, tension comes when we face circumstances that are simply beyond our control. Have you noticed how little control we really do hold? How much energy we waste attempting to control that which cannot be controlled. Joy is lost in the struggle for power and supremacy, and that, my friend, is the root of a joy-less life. We battle for control of life instead of giving up control to God, the only one who can do anything about life. I often wonder how our journey would change if we realized and practiced the truth that if there is no control, there is no responsibility, so we might as well laugh!

I read of a young mother who posted this sign in her home:

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“Things I Can’t Do Anything About But God Can.” Underneath these words, she made a list of each circumstance and problem that she could not change. That is choosing a perspective of joy. Laughter and joy diffuse tension.

5. Joy Reproduces Itself

In his book to the Romans, Paul delivers a simplistic but powerful message to each one of us, “Whoever has the gift of encouraging others should encourage. Whoever has the gift of giving to others should give freely. Anyone who has the gift of being a leader should try hard when he leads. Whoever has the gift of showing mercy to others should do so with joy” (Romans 13:8, NCV). Joy spreads quickly. People are drawn to joy. Think with me for a moment about the people in your life who bring you joy. If you are like me, when you need encouragement or just some plain old fun, there are certain people who come to mind. What an honor! To be thought of as a “joy builder.” Joy is the signature of a true believer. Because we know God, our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outer circumstances. Let those words sink in. Our inner attitudes do NOT have to reflect our outer circumstances!

Joy reigns within us – solid, unchanging, and eternal, flowing from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who is Joy. And because He never changes, our joy is fixed. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (NIV).

“Joyful believers have no trouble convincing people around them that Christianity is real, and that Christ can transform a life. Joy is the flag that flies above the castle of their hearts, announcing that the KING is in residence” (Author unknown).

These days, I find myself avoiding the whiners who love to sneak into my life, crushing and stealing my joy. I am in the process of learning a very important truth. Here it is, friends. We set the joy level in our lives. Unspeakable and immeasurable joy is available through the presence of Jesus Christ but is set free by our choice, our “life setting.” When it comes to joy, we need to be thermostats instead of thermometers!

What is the joy level of your life? Maybe it is time to check that thermostat!

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages

Mary Southerland is also the Co-founder of Girlfriends in God, a conference and devotion ministry for women. Mary’s books include, Hope in the Midst of Depression, Sandpaper People, Escaping the Stress Trap, Experiencing God’s Power in Your Ministry, 10-Day Trust Adventure, You Make Me So Angry, How to Study the Bible, Fit for Life, Joy for the Journey, and Life Is So Daily. Mary relishes her ministry as a wife, a mother to their two children, Jered and Danna, and Mimi to her six grandchildren – Jaydan, Lelia, Justus, Hudson, Mo, and Nori.