Good Medicine

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."  Proverbs 17:22

Most of us love to laugh. I do. It makes us feel better. During a recent trip with a great group of guys, we laughed ... a lot. I felt refreshed and energized, grateful for the adventure. As I understand it, there is a whole science behind the link of joy and health. Conversely, emotional darkness or the "broken spirit" leaves a person listless and mopey. 

The writer of our proverb for today needed no explanation about endorphins to understand the impact of a broken heart. A thick crushing canopy of darkness takes down the heartiest among us. The cure? Cheer. Where does one go to find cheer? It's not found on the street corner or the changing of any circumstance in our lives. Nehemiah spilled the beans ... "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

A joy rooted in something or someone other than God himself will ultimately lead us to a place of sapped strength. The "good medicine" for the hurting heart is the person of Jesus. Where have we been tempted to turn for joy? What desires have us distracted? Is there a blockading lie between us and God? Jesus came to give us life and life to the fullest. Let's not miss it for the world.

Grace and Peace,

Tom Wiles
tom@fallcreekchristian.org

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