Be Happy! Laugh Hard!

     There are several verses on “a merry heart.” Today, as in every day, I strive to find laughter! I believe it is a weapon with healing power! Better than vitamins! I invite all my readers to strive to find joy and laughter, for “Today is the day the Lord has made.” 
 

Following are a few good verses on “a merry heart.”
  Proverbs 17:22a “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”
  Proverbs 15:15b “He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” 
  Proverbs 15:13a “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.” 

 

     Laughter and joy seem to go hand-in-hand. Aside from the verses above, I also found a few good quotes of interest. 

 

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy – we’re happy because we laugh.” – William James
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”- Charlie Chaplin
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” -Victor Hugo
“Joy is God’s smile; love is God’s laughter.” – John O’Donahue
“Your body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.” – Catherine Ripperger Fenwick 
“To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it.” -Charlie Chaplin
“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.” – George Bernard Shaw 
“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” Mark Twain
 

 

 

Laughter

I am reminded with a happy heart of the slogan, “When you laugh, the world laughs with you, but when you cry, you cry alone.” Actually, I like the first part best because I believe in Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  Again in Proverbs 15, I am told, "A merry heart maketh a  cheerful countenance..." I believe God gave us laughter for a reason, and He expects and wants us to laugh. 

     You know, Sarah, who was already in her 90’s, laughed when God said she would have a child. It was a laughter of disbelief over what she heard that she thought was foolishness, and God heard her laughter because He asked, “Why did Sarah laugh?” With the question, I think God smiled!  Again, years later, Sarah laughed after she had born a child when she said, “God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” 

     Laughter is very much a way of projecting joy. I believe it is very good for the soul. It makes the heart merry. It is healthy! Laughter makes a cheerful countenance. The facial features look a whole lot better with a smile rather than a frown. 

     Have you ever just sat alone and projected good-hearted laughter out-loud? Do it! It makes the heart feel good. 

     "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.....(Do a strong belly laugh. Out-Loud and Alone, of course!)

     

     

Joy and Laughter

     Psalm 90:12  "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom."  Thinking on this verse, I decided that much of what gets us through the brevity of life is joy.  Not only that, but joy is good medicine, and joy in the Lord is required. 

Psalm 98:12 "May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise His holy name."

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."

     God is truly the essence of my joy, and the reason for my gratitude.  However, somewhere along the way I had to develop laughter, that true "belly laugh" which gets me through the daily chores of the day.  I am not an expert on emotions or behavior but for me laughter goes full circle.  By that I mean, when I committed to following Christ, I was given the gift of joy which brings about a desire for laughter of the soul which connects my inner-person to my joy which increases my gratitude to God.  Often, in life laughter has be to practiced in order to find it when it is truly needed.     



                 
     In an article written by a Laughter Yoga Teacher, he writes, "Think of yourself like an ocean; underneath the storm, deep down, the sea is calm and peaceful.  Your emotions are like the waves on the surface, turbulent or calm and peaceful.  Deep down is where your "authentic joy" is sitting."

     For me, laughter is fun and it's free.  Even though laugher can be contagious, it would be rather embarrassing for anyone to be around me when I really want to exercise or practice my "belly laugh."  Most of us have heard that infectious baby laugh or giggle which goes on and on until everyone around is also laughing.  In the privacy of your alone-time try it sometime. 
     What does this do for me, you might ask? It removes the frown from my face.  It relieves my tension and stress, and I believe it helps connect my true inner-self to my joy.  If nothing else, it makes me laugh at my own silliness. 
    Life is brief!  I want to treasure my joy, mixing in a measure of laughter which can circulate throughout my body from my toes and up into my mind and spirit. 

O, Lord! Thank you for my joy and help me laugh through the brevity of life.

Keep Me Young

    As adults, what's missing in our lives?  Could it be childlike trust as shown by the little girl who asked her mother for a kitten and was told, "No! Not unless God sends you one."  So the child immediately went outside, got on her knees, and prayed, "Lord, please send me a kitten." When the child opened her eyes, a kitten came sailing through the air and landed at her feet.  Her simple, trusting prayer had been answered.  It didn't matter that the neighbor across the way had just tied a rope to a tree limb  and then to the hitch of his truck in an attempt to get a stranded kitten out of his tree. The rope broke, the tree limb popped back in place, and the kitten went sailing across the sky. 
     Sometimes trust, laughter, and just getting rid of the stored up garbage of disappointments and resentments along life's highway of life will bring blessings, joy, and a youthful heart. 

            

 

 KEEP ME YOUNG

Keep me young, Lord, keep me young,

Like little children

With laughter dancing off their tongue,

While chasing friends across the glen.

Keep me laughing, full of joy

Like a playful, grade school boy;

Like the children and the young,

Dreaming dreams

Through the seasons that have sprung,

Waking, flowing as the streams.

Let my love flow easily through my days,

Awed by heaven’s rainbow rays.  

Don’t let me age, Lord, don’t let me age.

Give me childlike faith and trust,

Hope through the turning of a page, 

A life with treasures free of rust.

Make me childlike through the day,

Loving, sharing in my play.

Help me rid my heartfelt pain.
Keep me trusting as a child,
Dancing, singing through drizzling rain;

Open, growing, meek and mild.

Keep me smiling in this place,
Joyful in my homeland space.
Keep me young, Lord, keep me young.

                                                         Mary Crisp Jameson

 

Staying Positive In A Negative World

     Have you ever gotten up in a really good mood only to go to work and be brought down by someone with a negative outlook? I mean, you smile and cheerfully say “hello,” only to be met with a grumpy unsmiling response. Suddenly, your mood has changed. Or you went to work and your co-worker started in on all the unpleasant changes taking place. Did that cause a change in your outlook or attitude about your job? Did your joy disappear?

     So just how do we stay positive and joyful in a negative world? How do we keep from being the grumpy person, ourselves, taking someone else’s joy away?
     First, we need to figure out what has created our grumpiness. Maybe, it is not being satisfied with what we have. We have not learned to be content. Maybe it is unforgiveness, financial problems, sickness, injury, or death of a loved one. The list could go on and on.
     Regardless of the reason, we all have choices on how we handle life’s events.
     Number one, I do not have to have a bad day just because someone else chooses to have one. I can be there for a friend, to listen and help, but as an on-going drama I do not have to get involved.
     Next, life is too short to let unforgiveness rob me of my joy. We have to realize that to harbor ill-will against someone else only hurts us. I firmly believe that unforgiveness prevents the Holy Spirit from working in our lives to give us complete joy. What is the loss of pride to make amends compared to the gain of a joyful heart?
     If the problem is financial, maybe we can manage to change our outlook on the way we choose to spend money and be willing to take some conservative measures.
     If the problem is changes at work, and those changes are out of our control, maybe it is time to be thankful we have a job, that is, if we truly enjoy the place where we work. If it is a job that we wake up every single morning and dread, it might be time to look for one that can provide a more rewarding experience. Again, life is too short not to enjoy what we do on a daily basis.
     Whatever the reason, I have to go back to “choices.” We have to choose to be joyful. We have to want to be cheerful. We have to want to wear a smile. We have to want to be friendly toward others. We should grasp every moment and strive to be positive and happy.
     When it comes right down to it, to stay positive in a negative world means we have to count our blessings. We will all have sorrow and trouble, but I believe how we choose to handle it will determine our joy. Proverbs 14:13 says, “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.” What keeps the laughter in my heart is faith and belief in God’s Word and His promises. Hebrews 13:5 gives us words to live by and a promise, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
     In my weak moments and times of trials, I strive to remember Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not be faint.”
     Knowing God is always with me gives me hope and joy! “…Be of good courage.” Strive to smile and laugh more. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.”