FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR HEALTH
Proverbs 17:22 NKJV
22 A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.
This is another good reminder of how to take care of yourself. We have all kinds of advice available today regarding longevity and how to obtain robust health. Most advice deals with what to eat or not eat. And, of course, exercise and proper sleep are important.
Some advisors delve into the mindset that promotes health, which is great. Avoiding chronic worry and toxic stress almost always makes the list for healthy behaviors.
The Scriptures are way ahead on promoting healthy ways. The Scriptures come from the spiritual perspective. Getting things right in our hearts has a knock-on effect for all of our health, including mental and physical.
Our verse for today speaks of the benefits of a merry, joyful, or happy heart. The Hebrew word for merry is basically happy or glad and is a state and attitude of joy. When we have joy on the inside, and that joy is impacting our attitude everything looks better. This verse also is rendered a merry heart makes medicine even better.
We know this from a purely medical standpoint. Surgeons are reluctant to operate when the patient is despondent. Optimistic people are proven to live longer. People who are lonely have been shown to have worse health and shorter life spans than their peers who have friends and family. The inner condition affects health so much that England has developed a government position with the sole task of reducing loneliness because of the medical costs that are directly impacted by people who are lonely and sad.
Sadness would be the opposite of a merry heart. In Proverbs 15:13, sorrow is directly linked to a broken spirit. Our verse for today says that a broken spirit dries the bones. Dried out bones are not a healthy state.
So, in looking at these two verses, having a merry heart is good for us. Having sadness and sorrow as the predominant attitude and emotion is bad for our health.
APPLICATION
So, if having a merry heart is good for our health, how do we cultivate a merry heart?
First, we must believe we can get there. If the Lord encourages us to have a merry heart, it has to be possible. If we start blaming genetics or our upbringing, we will not develop a happy heart. If we wait until everything looks great and we have no challenges and problems, we may be waiting until Jesus comes back. A merry heart can be developed in spite of our personality type, background, or present situation. Believing we can is vital.
Acting our way into a merry heart is more effective than waiting to feel our way there. Feelings are typically a poor leader but a better follower. So we rejoice in the Lord. We go ahead and act glad for our salvation and eternal destiny. We thank God for His help and His word. We are grateful for the Holy Spirit and His strength and partnership.
These are positions we take up by faith, not feelings. But feelings can follow.
And as this devotional continues to grow on me. We must be very attentive to the thoughts we allow to stay in our minds. We will not develop a glad heart if we are thinking about all the things we don't know, can't do, and don't have.
No one said developing a merry heart would be easy. If that were the case, happy people would be abounding, especially in church. Not easy, but not out of reach. A merry heart is good for our health.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, I will develop a glad, rejoicing heart more in 2024.