Scripture:-
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Observation:- The old song based on this Scripture goes – A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, like a medicine is a merry heart, a broken spirit drieth the bones but a merry heart is the joy of the Lord. What does merry mean? It means happy, joyous, cheerful. A happy person tends to be a healthy person, and I believe studies have shown that sick people exposed to a happy environment with a lot of laughter get better much faster. There is also a trend going on these days called Laughter therapy. Apparently, laughing is very good for health. So, some people even force themselves to laugh.
On the other hand, the depressed, the discouraged, the negative-minded, tend to cause health problems both to themselves and others around them. It is dangerous to keep a broken spirit.
The Beatitudes come to mind here, when Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, “Blessed are those who mourn for they are comforted”. Do these two lines contradict the Proverb? I think not. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but it does not mean one must or can be merry all the time. Like Solomon said, there is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There are times to be sad and to weep. If the sinner does not recognize and despair from his sad state of sin, he cannot repent and come to the salvation of God. However, it is not God’s will for us to stay in the condition of sadness and mourning for long. Even in our sadness, we can still have the joy of the Lord, the calm assurance that God is with us and that brings us joy.
Application:- In conclusion, in general, aim to have a merry heart, to keep a generally joyful attitude and laugh easily. In certain times, when we need to mourn, then we should mourn, but keep the joy of the Lord even in our sadness and after the time has passed, come back to our generally joyful attitude. Spend time and laugh with children. I believe Sunday School and kindergarten teachers tend to be generally happy people because they enjoy children. When depressed, think of a happy time, maybe draw it out. Come back to the attitude of merriness.
Prayer:- Lord, help us learn to be merry always in general, and at times when we are sad, to still have Your joy and find strength in You. In Jesus name, Amen.
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