Monday Morning Medicine

“A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22

If you don’t learn to laugh, you can easily get burned out. Some people take everything way too seriously. Most people need to take themselves less seriously and God more seriously. One of the healthiest habits you can get involved in, in your life, is to develop a good sense of humor. Studies have shown that when you laugh, it increases the number of T – cells in your body, which raises your immunity level, it really is good for your health. When you laugh it produces endorphins in your brain. Humor is God’s gift. Even God has a sense of humor, I mean He made you and he made me.

A while back I was reading a book by Tim Hansel which was entitled You Gotta Keep Dancing. He talks about his tragic fall while mountain climbing. It nearly left him a vegetable. And though he can move around a little now, he has traumatic deteriorating arthritis, a life long illness with very intense pain. In his book he says, “Life is funny, even amidst all of its tragic realities.” He shares a collection of thoughts on a bad day that keeps him laughing.

He says, You know it’s a bad day when:

• You call your answering machine service and they tell you it’s none of your business.
• You put on your pants backwards and they fit better.
• Your horn accidentally goes off and remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell’s angel’s on the freeway.
• You sink your teeth into a beautiful steak and they stay there.

He has a second collection on aging, You know you’re getting older when:

• You back goes out more than you do.
• Your knees buckle, but your belt won’t.
• You get winded playing chess.
• You set in a rocking chair and can’t make it go.
• You turn out the light for economic rather than romantic reasons.
• Dialing long distance wears you out.

He was sharing some of these funny thoughts at a seminar and on Old Lady came up to him afterwards and said, “I know I’m getting older when one day I reached down to tie my shoe lace and said to myself, “I wonder if there is anything else I can do while I’m down here!” I’ve learned that if you learn to laugh at yourself that you never run out of material. If you are going to make it in ministry in the long run you have to remember to keep a good sense of humor.