Tag Archives: cheerful heart

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples – Two Hundred Laughs

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“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

It’s been said that the average child laughs two hundred times a day, while the typical adult laughs only four times every twenty‐four hours. So what has happened to us grown‐ups? Maybe it has something to do with those grueling hours at the office, long lines at the grocery store, and piles of bills on the kitchen counter.

Of course, life can be very difficult, and some people face serious obstacles and hardships. But many of us frown or complain over relatively minor inconveniences. I (jcd) knew a woman who made herself and her husband miserable just because she had one more child than she had bedrooms in which to put them. Too many irritations come from a complete inability to appreciate the humor and blessings that exist around us. When your husband forgets to take the kids to their dentist appointment, or your wife accidentally gives away your favorite sweatshirt, or your toddler draws his version of the Mona Lisa on the living room wall—wouldn’t it be easier on everyone if you looked on the funny side of the situation?

Kevin Jones, dealing with increasing paralysis from Lou Gehrig’s disease, was asked to describe the worst thing about his condition. He replied, “My wife’s driving! She has to take me everywhere.”

No matter what you’re facing, a smile can only make it better.

Just between us…

  • How often do you laugh each day?
  • Do we keep our heavenly destination in mind when adversity strikes?
  • How could we add humor to the next difficult situation we face?

Dear God, when problems threaten to affect how we treat each other, help us to see them in the perspective of Your unfailing goodness. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Secret Way

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

I have a little game I play with my granddaughters. When we are out and about, I ask them the question, “Do you want to go the regular way or do you want to go the secret way?”

Of course, they excitedly squeal, “The secret way, Papa, the secret way!” And that is the way we go.

Oh, by the way, there really is no “secret way” to speak of. If we are in a car, it’s simply an alternate route. Or if we are going into a restaurant, I may take them in a side door instead of the front.

The idea is, let’s have fun when and where we can.

Life is hard enough without making it harder. Sometimes we have rough days, and sometimes life is hard—very hard. Especially for a person who has lost a loved one and is in the depths of grief.

I speak to many of these people every day because I am a fellow griever, and we always seem to find each other.

I have found that a little humor can really help. One person said, “Laughter is a temporary vacation from grief.”

I like that. Or we could just call it “the secret way.”

The Bible says “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT).

So try to laugh today. Or instead of going the regular way to where you need to go, try to go “the secret way.”