A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 ESV)
Medicine
A variety of medicines fill our medicine cabinet. And most of them are useful medicine… for SOMEthing. There are medicines that are good for headaches. There are medicines that are good for tummy troubles. There are medicines that are good for allergy symptoms.
The medicines are good for some things. But the medicines are not good for all things.
Laughter works that way, too.
Certainly, laughter is not always the medicine we need. But according to Proverbs 17:22, a joyful heart, perhaps displayed by laughter, is good for times when our spirits are crushed.
Perhaps such laughter is an action we can choose to pursue, in a sort of ‘fake it till you make it’ sort of situation. We can choose to see the humorous in a dark situation. We can choose joy, particularly the joy we find in union with Christ. We can choose to laugh, in the hope of resulting joy.
Perhaps such laughter is something that comes upon us, and almost seems to happen TO us. God’s Spirit can lift our hearts and bring laughter when we least expect it. Maybe as a part of the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). Our dry bones inexplicably find revival as we laugh in that way. Maybe laughing in the face of trouble, maybe laughing through the trouble. Maybe just laughing and finding joy from the Lord. We can submit to laughter, the result of union with Christ.
Either way, such laughter is like medicine.
Take your medicine! This kind does not even need a spoonful of sugar.