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Laughter and Healing
Read 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10. What is Paul saying here, and how can we apply this principle in our own lives, especially in times of distress?
Norman Cousins, the author of a book called Anatomy of An Illness, was the editor of a popular magazine in the United States for about thirty years. In 1964 he was struck down by a disease that affected his collagen, the body’s connective tissue. He suffered great pain. He had a hard time moving his fingers, his limbs, even his jaw. He found it hard to turn over in bed. Meanwhile, lumps started forming all over his body, as well. Once the diagnosis was made, the doctors prescribed all sorts of pain-killers and sedatives, things like aspirin and codeine, and other drugs, including many different sleeping pills. At one point, his cousins’ body started to have a reaction to the drugs, and he broke out in hives that were even more painful than the disease itself. Things were looking bad for Norman, especially because only one in about five hundred patients ever recovers from this disease.
Finally, fed up with all these medications and their bad side effects, he started to watch some funny films from a popular TV show called Candid Camera. In bed he would laugh and laugh at the antics. Almost immediately he noticed a change. The more he laughed, the better he felt. The nurse would sometimes read him humorous stories that would make him howl with glee. Over time, the tests showed that he was getting better. Before long, the lumps on his body began to shrink, and he returned to his job. Soon after, the man who had found it hard to turn over in bed was playing tennis, playing golf, riding horses, and playing the piano!
Though no one is saying that laughter is the solution to all our medical problems, there is no question that a good attitude can have a positive impact on our health.
So often attitude is something that you can control if you really want to, is it not? What is your general attitude? How can you learn to be more optimistic? How should focusing on the Cross and what it reveals about God help you have a more positive outlook on life?
| WEDNESDAY | June 9 |
Read 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10. What is Paul saying here, and how can we apply this principle in our own lives, especially in times of distress?
Norman Cousins, the author of a book called Anatomy of An Illness, was the editor of a popular magazine in the United States for about thirty years. In 1964 he was struck down by a disease that affected his collagen, the body’s connective tissue. He suffered great pain. He had a hard time moving his fingers, his limbs, even his jaw. He found it hard to turn over in bed. Meanwhile, lumps started forming all over his body, as well. Once the diagnosis was made, the doctors prescribed all sorts of pain-killers and sedatives, things like aspirin and codeine, and other drugs, including many different sleeping pills. At one point, his cousins’ body started to have a reaction to the drugs, and he broke out in hives that were even more painful than the disease itself. Things were looking bad for Norman, especially because only one in about five hundred patients ever recovers from this disease.
Finally, fed up with all these medications and their bad side effects, he started to watch some funny films from a popular TV show called Candid Camera. In bed he would laugh and laugh at the antics. Almost immediately he noticed a change. The more he laughed, the better he felt. The nurse would sometimes read him humorous stories that would make him howl with glee. Over time, the tests showed that he was getting better. Before long, the lumps on his body began to shrink, and he returned to his job. Soon after, the man who had found it hard to turn over in bed was playing tennis, playing golf, riding horses, and playing the piano!
Though no one is saying that laughter is the solution to all our medical problems, there is no question that a good attitude can have a positive impact on our health.
So often attitude is something that you can control if you really want to, is it not? What is your general attitude? How can you learn to be more optimistic? How should focusing on the Cross and what it reveals about God help you have a more positive outlook on life?
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