Good Medicine

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" Proverbs 17:22 

         Our next little step to better health is : JOY!  That's right. We can take the prescription written above from the Great Physician and cash it in to the pharmacy of heaven.  It has been proven that laughter is good for you.  All doctors know that the attitude of the patient determines the length of recovery.  Take the time to look up "joy" in your concordance and see how many times that it is mentioned in Scripture.  Even in His prayer, Jesus mentioned that His purpose in coming to the earth was that He could speak the words of the Lord so that we "might have my (His) joy fulfilled in themselves" John 17:13. It is the Lord's will that you be joyful!  I recently taught a teen girls' Sunday School class on what Jesus was like as a teenager.  Before that study, I had always pictured Jesus has a hermit-like individual, sullen, somber and "other-worldly".  But, my eyes were opened when we considered the passage that mentions that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52).  The author of the Bible study highlighted the part that states that He grew in favour with man.  You can't find favor with man if you are sullen and somber.  Jesus fulfilled all Scripture-- He was joyful, a delight to be around, and a person that was pleasant.
     I heard a great sermon on Sunday morning all dealing with being joyful.  It is something that we often forget.  It's so easy to let circumstances rob us of the joy that should be evident in our actions and on our faces. I know, our favorite saying as moms is "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."  It's too bad that we "mamas" let the little things that happen in our day determine the attitude of the day! 
     Let's bring it down into a practical light.  The Bible plainly states that having a joyful spirit is like a medicine.  The verse written above continues: "...but a broken spirit dryeth the bones." Proverbs 17:22.  Have you ever known a bitter woman?  Did she also suffer from osteoporosis, bone spurs, kidney stones, or even bone cancer?   A broken spirit can do that to you! 
     So, take the time today to laugh.  Children can detect a joyful or bitter spirit a mile away.  Show them your joy with your actions.  A smile isn't the only way to show joy, you can show joy in the way that you walk and work.  Take this simple step to better health and reach for joy instead of bitterness.