Take Your Medicine!

     As a parent of adult children, my mind is full of many memories. I remember the hard days, the lazy days, and the sick days. I remember the days my children did nothing but fight and argue; though I wish those memories would fade away! I remember the days my children had hurting hearts; like when they had to say goodbye to their friends when we were moving or when they stopped going out with their special friend. I have enough memories to fill pages and pages in the scrapbook of my mind. However, if you asked me what my favorite memories are; they are the memories of laughter. I love to see or hear my children laugh. I mean the deep belly laugh or the kind where your stomach muscles ache! I think that is the reason we are a teasing family; we like to create laughter. I must confess, I have given our family many things to laugh about!
     Most of us have heard the saying "Laughter is the best Medicine", and now there is research which shows the physiological effects of laughter on our bodies:
• Laughter appears to reduce levels of certain stress hormones, and growth hormone.
• Laughter boosts the Immune System.
• Blood Pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in vascular blood flow, and an increase in oxygenation of the blood which further assists healing.
• Laughter may lead to hicupping and coughing, which will clear the respiratory tract by dislodging mucus plugs.
• Laughter also gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory and facial, leg and back muscles a workout. So basically laughter is an all body workout. You can have fun, keep fit, and stay healthy in one easy step! Just Laugh!
• Some believe that laughter may help prevent some life-threatening diseases such as heart disease. Anger and fear are two common emotions which are frequently responsible for the cause of heart attacks.
• Laughter offers a brief respite from arthritis stress and provides both tension and pain relief. It has also shown to have positive effects for healing.
     I believe that God loves to see his children laugh! I believe it brings Him joy. I think it is sad that many times Christians are solemn, serious, and gloom. We are the children of the God of the Universe. He loves us and knows us personally and has given us eternal life with him. We only have to live in this pitiful world for a short time and then we will experience true happiness and joy in the presence of Jesus for eternity! Shouldn’t we be the happy ones? Shouldn’t we be the ones who display true joy to the world? I remember once going to an outdoor wedding in Montana. The reception guests were unintentionally split. The church friends were on one side and the party people were on the other side. If someone would have walked in and had to pick out the drunks, they would have picked us church people! We were happy and having fun and not one of us had a drink! That is the happiness the world should see. Laughter and happiness is one trait that I pray my children and grandchildren will always possess. As I was pondering the devotion for today and seeking what to write, I really wanted to write about Bryce (my son) and Kristen (my daughter-in-law) going to the doctor for the first time today. They had their first ultrasound and YES, I have a picture of the first stage of life for my grandchild! If it is a boy, its name will be Asher. Bryce picked that name for his son when he was 14 years old, for reasons only he and God knows. However, I really felt God wanted me to write on happiness and laughter. Ironically, when I went to read the scriptures on happiness for the devotion, the first one I read was about Leah saying, I am happy, for women will call me blessed; and she named him Asher (happy)! Gen. 30:31  God never ceases to amaze me!
     May we all live as if our name means happy! May we all enjoy much laughter in our life! If you found out today that you inherited $100,000, how ecstatic would you be? Haven’t you inherited so much more from our Heavenly Father? Are you showing the world that being a follower of Jesus makes your heart happy?

A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing,

 but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverb 17:22

Just a little medicine for your heart: Chonda Pierce: Honeymoon Package