Laughter The Best Medicine

The Healing Balm.

We all have been used to hearing that laughter is the best medicine. In the Scriptures, we read that a “cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”(Proverbs 17:22). Scientific studies have proved that laughter triggers the release of those “feel good” hormones endorphins, which bring great benefits to our physical and emotional health. This fact was written thousands of years ago by the wise king Solomon. On the contrary, stress can release stress chemicals in our blood stream resulting in sickness, so our state of mind can greatly impact our health for good or bad hence “a broken spirit dries the bones.”We negatively affect our behavior, when we keep ruminating on negative thoughts, verbal abuse from our childhood and carried into our adult life, can pave the way for toxic thinking, releasing the stress chemical cortisol, leading to a destructive cycle of conflict, and anger. Quoting from Dr Caroline Leaf’s book, (Who Switched Off My Brain) “positive attitudes cause the secretions of the correct amount of chemicals, and negative attitudes distort the chemical secretions in a way that disrupts their natural flow.” So the way we think or feel results in a manner that impacts us negatively or positively. So we can safely say, we are what we think, because the scriptures tell us in (Proverbs 23:7) “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” The same is true about what we feed on physically or spiritually; our health in both areas is indicative of the diet we consume physically or spiritually. God has given us the answer in His Word, because He wants us to live healthy joyful productive lives. The psalmist David in the Bible understood this and he says “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more. (Psalm 16:11). The one who made us, our creator, gave us his manual, the Bible to meditate on, so we can live healthy fulfilled lives. Meditate on the words of King Solomon in the Scriptures.”My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.”(Proverbs 4:20-22)

Be Blessed, Shalom

Norma