Happy Monday. “Happiness is not a destination you arrive at, but it’s a manner of travel.”–Apples of Gold
Do you have a merry heart today? If so, you are following a great prescription for health. Proverbs 17:22 says, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Happiness or joy is not dependent on situations but flows from deep within as we choose it. It has been said that folks are generally as happy as they have made up their minds to be. Notice that purposeful thought is involved. We can change a whole day by altering our attitudes.
Looking around ourselves, we can notice that there is so much that is gloomy. Jesus said, …In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
Our Father wants us to be happy. He made so much to make us smile. Just look around! Dr. Hyles said, “The heathen are waiting to see Christians who laugh and sing.” We are walking billboards for Christian joy.
In his health book Deadly Emotions, Dr. Don Colbert has a chapter titled “The Value of Joy.” He explains that he often prescribes several belly laughs per day for patients, which bring great results and even cures. He says that laughter increases the level of “feel-good” hormones by twenty-seven percent and of “youth” hormones by a whopping eighty-seven percent!
Guess what? Long before the doctor said it, God said in Nehemiah 8:10, …for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Also, He said, A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:… – Proverbs 15:13
A wise person once said, “A man really grows up when he learns to laugh out loud…at himself.”
by Beverly Hyles
From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.
