Norman Cousins tells of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling disease. When he was diagnosed as incurable, Cousins checked out of the hospital. Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body, Cousins reasoned the reverse was true. So, he borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own treatment, consisting of Marx Brothers films and old "Candid Camera" reruns.

It didn’t take long for him to discover that 10 minutes of laughter provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Amazingly, his debilitating disease was eventually reversed. After the account of his victory appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, Cousins received more than 3,000 letters from appreciative physicians throughout the world.²

We all know that stress can lead to health complications, yet we still have the tendency to focus more on the problem at hand, then find joy in the many other blessings God has given us, one of them being a sense of humor! I have found, as a mom, that if I join in my children’s laughter throughout the day, my stress levels decrease significantly compared to days when I allow myself to get caught up in the craziness of life. Give it a try… have your children or grandchildren tell you funny jokes or go watch America’s Funniest Home Videos for a while, and you will see what I am talking about!

God loves us. He knew that this life would have its difficulties, so he made sure to give us cheerful moments to help us through it all. However, if we become bitter because of our circumstances, we will fail to see the joy in life, and this could be detrimental to our overall wellbeing. The Bible tells us that there is a time for everything, so in the midst of the stress of life, don’t forget to laugh!

Suggested prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me all the tools I need to live this life. Please give me a cheerful heart to enjoy the beautiful moments you give me, and help my cheerfulness be contagious to others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1.    Proverbs 17:22 (NLT).

2.    www.sermoncentral.com

Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.