A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine
The original Mary Poppins movie with Julie Andrews in the lead has been a family favourite for some time. One iconic song, A Spoonful of Sugar, is still occasionally sung in our house when one of my young adults particularly dislikes a chore that needs doing.
The idea behind the song apparently stems from a conversation the songwriter, Robert Sherman, had with his young son, Jeff, about the polio vaccine. Jeff recalls how afraid he was of getting shots and how he would often run away from nurses trying to administer them. So when he told his father one afternoon that he had received the polio vaccine at school, his father was naturally surprised.
‘Didn’t it hurt?’ Robert Sherman asked his son.
‘No, they put it on a sugar cube, and you just ate it,’ Jeff explained.
According to Jeff, his dad immediately went to the phone to call his uncle. They had been struggling to develop a new song in the place of one that Walt Disney had rejected. He wanted something snappier. Robert Sherman’s conversation with his son finally gave him the catchy slogan he and his brother needed: A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down!
This week we are revisiting the heart, taking another look at this most important organ. In Chapter 17:22, it says A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. I find it fascinating that medical article upon medical article has been written about the benefits of laughter, and that on every level — physical, mental and social!
Listen to what today’s “clever” people have to say about the advantages of laughter and that after lengthy research[1]:
Physical: it boosts immunity, lowers stress hormones, decreases pain, relaxes your muscles and prevents heart disease.
Mental: it adds joy and zest to life, eases anxiety and tension, relieves stress, improves mood and strengthens resilience.
Social: it strengthens relationships, attracts others to us, enhances teamwork, helps defuse conflict and promotes group bonding.
While the Bible is no psychological textbook, it surely gives the wisest counsel! For Christians, joy is a fruit of the spirit, and thus combined with faith and hope in Jesus Christ, we should be pictures of health in all seasons and all circumstances. I always think about King David’s repentant cry in Psalm 51, restore to me the joy of your salvation and Jesus reminding the 70 upon their return not to rejoice that they have authority to trample on serpents and scorpions but that their names are recorded in heaven.
Thus, as saved Believers, our joy should be immense, our confidence in Christ unparalleled and our faith in His wise counsel and meticulous care a testimony to everyone!
It is not by accident that Christ commands his followers on seven occasions to be of good cheer! In English, the word “cheer” means to shout for joy in praise or encouragement, cheerfulness, optimism, or confidence. In John 16:33, the AMPLIFIED version, we read some of the last words of Jesus to his disciples: I have told you these things so that in Me you may have (perfect) peace. In the world, you have tribulation, distress, and suffering, but be courageous (be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy); I have overcome the world.” (My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.)
GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK: It is said that he who laughs lasts, but we cannot always be cheerful. Solomon is clear about that when he writes there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. Instead, I believe the Bible teaches us that Christians should intentionally cultivate a happy and cheerful heart. Therefore, ask God to show you this week where and when to put on the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
[1] https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm
