Originally posted 2019-04-18 11:22:17.
Hi!
You never know how, when or what God will use to penetrate dark clouds looming in your life. Yes! He gives you His Holy Word and commissions you to pray, to puncture walls of heaviness. Yet, He uses many things in life to catapult you into experiencing relief.
It does not matter how dismal the situation; nothing will separate you from the eyes of God. Your hope may have packed its bags, and headed towards the door. Your money may have gotten so low until you dug into every pocket, purse or briefcase in your house. Yet all you could muster up was $5 in nickels, dimes and quarters to put gas into your car.
You may have run out of medication, and you lack the money to pay your copays. Maybe people who don’t like you for no sensible reason, surround you in your supposedly happy space. Perhaps you have become exhausted from dealing with people with spirits of sabotage. Oh yes! Trouble might be on every side.
Then, “BOOM!”
Just when depression starts knocking on your heart; a song captures your attention. 
I mean the kind of song that causes your frustration to do a 180 degree turnaround?
Some songs are so catchy; until you like them when you first hear them. They don’t have a fast beat, or a mood altering melody. Yet they make a powerful impact.
That’s what happened when I heard Bebe Winans’ song “Laughter.”
One day, as I was in my car, on my way home from the doctor, “Laughter” started playing on the radio. It made such an impact, until when I arrived home, I downloaded the song on my phone before I got out of the car. I looked up the song on YouTube and texted the video to one of my sons. I knew he was dealing with some things; and I wanted him to laugh.
The wonderful thing about this song is that I heard it on a day when sadness overwhelmed me. Someone had called with news that one of our church mothers was sick unto death. Though I knew she had not been well for some time; this news punched my heart.
Jabs of sadness flooded into my spirit, while I simultaneously dealt with the effects of an upper respiratory infection. Talking about a one-two punch. I was very sick; and the enemy thought he had the victory. But God! The Lord knew my heart and body were aching, and I needed a pick-me-up.
There are ABSOLUTELY no limits to how you receive breakthroughs!
That day God used a song on the radio to engineer my breakthrough. “Ain’t God good!” After hearing that song; with tears in my eyes,
I heard in my spirit, “Laugh Rochelle! JUST LAUGH!”
“Why” floated into my thoughts. Why did Bebe Winans song, “Laughter Just Like a Medicine,” cause my sea of tears to recede? Was it the awesome melody? That might be partly the reason. But, the lyrics, “Laughter does good just like a medicine,” did more. They made me think of scripture. The song prompted me to search the Word of God.
I typed, “Laughter” on the Bible app on my phone. Many scriptures came up with the word, “laughter.” But, Proverbs 17:22 stuck out. It says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Does a merry heart produce laughter? I say, “Yes!” But, does laughter always signify a merry heart? Not necessarily.
There are many emotions that spark laughter.
Have you ever seen someone fall, and it caused you concern that they were possibly hurt? Yet, you laughed, didn’t you? Why? Despite of the emotion of fear; it was funny! The laughter reduced the anxiety. In these instances, do you see the merry heart being good like a medicine?
Have you ever been crying; then someone told a crazy joke, and you burst out laughing? You went from tears flowing profusely to, “Bwahahahahaha!” Isn’t that good like medicine? Like lemon tea works on colds and sore throats.
There is something about laughter that soothes, as Bebe Winans song says, “Like Pepto Bismol.”
There are also times when laughter masks pain.
Have you ever heard someone utter a wicked laugh? Was their laughter good for them like medicine? I doubt it. Perhaps their need to see someone suffer drove their laughter. Perhaps their pain drove their delight in other’s dilemmas. But, their pseudo satisfaction did not end their pain. Those chuckles only served as a band-aid.
My late sister, Angie, had a masked laugh. When we were young; she would torture me by saying, “Tickle, tickle, tickle!” Then she would start tickling me. I was extremely ticklish.
It’s fun to watch ticklish people laugh. But, my sister would tickle me until I cried from a stomach ache. Even when I begged her to stop; she wouldn’t. She would just laugh. Why?
Laughing with someone is good like medicine. But laughing at someone’s pain, in my opinion, is not good like medicine. It is misery loving company. In my sister’s case; it was the latter.
When she and I became adults, one of my aunts in St. Louis, told me something that enlightened my view of Angie’s pseudo childhood laughter. When my sister was a little girl, one of my daddy’s sisters told my sister something that damaged her for life. I believe that is what caused my sister to find it amusing to see others suffer. In those instances, her laughter was not good as authentic medicine. Medicine should make you feel better; no matter how awful it tastes. Some medicines, like antibiotics, fight infections. Tainted laughter exacerbates sick hearts and emotional pain.
But a merry heart is good as a medicine.
I will use my sister as an example, again. As an adult, she had spurts of merriment. Even though she dealt with a lot of pain; we knew when glee saturated her heart. She would cook delicious meals, invite me and my children to dinner, and watch us eat. She would blurt out her infectious laugh from her happiness in seeing us enjoy her meals.
What else makes laughter good like a medicine?
It’s connected to praise. Praise brings you joy. You might be sad. Yet, when you start praising God, your thoughts change to joy from thinking of God’s goodness.
Joy causes merriment. Merriment is known for its contagion. You do not even need to know the reason behind one’s merry disposition to catch on. Their joy inspires joy; and uplifts atmospheres.
Laughter will spread like a wild-fire.
My friend, have you ever started laughing; then others around you started to laugh? When my children were young, we would play the laughter game to see if one laugh would spark another. I would start by laughing, 
“Bwahahahahaha!” Then Tamika would start laughing. Justin and Melvin would hold out as long as they could. They always had to keep up their tough guy demeanors. But after Tamika and I laughed so long; they eventually started laughing too.
My friend, I challenge you to LAUGH today. For the next seven days, LAUGH! Laugh at something. Laugh about a situation’s expected improvement. Laugh at yourself. LAUGH!
Thanks for joining me today. I’ll leave you with the question, “What makes laughter to be good like a medicine?” We will talk soon!
Rochelle
