Laughter — It’s Good Medicine!

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

“All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.”  — Proverbs 15:15

Sometimes the most obvious is overlooked. . . . A sense of humor is vital to a healthy marriage! Do we need to say that again? A sense of humor is vital to a healthy marriage! The ops tempo of military life is such that we can often overlook this VERY important truth!

Given the importance of laughter and humor in any relationship, it was refreshing to read Bob and Cheryl Moeller’s Marriage Minutes^. With their permission, we are sharing this:

“Many spouses see laughter as a frivolous use of time. Yes, it feels good to laugh but nothing important gets accomplished. Other spouses see it as a denial of reality. With so much sorrow and sadness in the world how can we ignore the suffering in our lives and laugh? Still others have become cynical or embittered in their marriage. They find nothing to laugh about given all the pain their spouse or marriage is causing them.

Yet the Scriptures take a different opinion. Solomon, perhaps the wisest man ever to write a book, says that laughter is good medicine and that a merry heart has a continual feast.

Why should couples look for the humor in life and enjoy laughter with one another on a regular basis?

1. Laughter is a form of humility—It means we don’t take ourselves too seriously. That’s a very effective way to combat pride or self-focus which can do much damage to our own spiritual and emotional health.
2. Laughter is a form of rest—It allows us to take a much needed break from the stress and serious business of marriage and relax for a moment. The Bible clearly teaches our lives are to have a rhythm to them of work and rest, work and rest, work and rest.
3. Laughter is a form of worship—Joy, merriment, and laughter all find their roots in the image of God. In other words God created them and gave them to us to enjoy. When we are filled with joy, merriment, and laughter we are acknowledging and enjoying one aspect of our Creator God—and that can become worship.
4. Laughter is a form of love—When we give our spouse the gift of joy or laughter we are nourishing their hearts, lifting their spirits, and encouraging them to press on. Whenever we build our spouse up in this way we are showing love toward them.”

So during deployment how do you enjoy humor? It won’t be the same way as when you’re together, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek to share this aspect of looking at life with some light-hearted moments over email, skype, text, or letter. Try it. . . .you might like it!

Questions to Share:

1. Was a sense of humor something that attracted you to your spouse when you were dating?
2. Share with each other a time when laughter got you through a particularly tough time in your relationship.