. A Time to Laugh, J. R. Miller. A happy heart makes the face
cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15, 13. All the days of the oppressed
are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. Proverbs 15, 15. A cheerful heart
is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17.22 I know that there
is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while
they live. Ecclesiastes 3.12 There is a
time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to
dance. Ecclesiastes 3.4 there is no
inconsistency between holiness and laughter. It is no sin to
smile. Indeed, a somber religion is
unnatural. Gloom is morbidness. Our lives
should be sunny and songful. Christ's religion is joyous,
even amid sorrows. We hear songs in the night. There
is a flower which is most fragrant after the sun has set, and in
the darkness pours its richest aroma on the air. Just so, true
religion grows in sweetness as the shadows deepen. He misrepresents
Christianity and the likeness of the Master, whose piety is
cold, dreary, cheerless, joyless, or who frowns upon innocent gladness
and pure pleasures. Sanctified wit has a blessed
mission. Life is so hard, so stern, with
so many burdens and struggles, that there is need for all the
bright words we can speak. The most wretched people in the
world are those who go about in sackcloth, carrying all their
griefs in their faces and casting dark shadows everywhere. Every
Christian should be a happiness maker. We need a thousand times
more joy in our lives than most of us get. We would be better
men and women if we were happier. A cheerful look brings joy to
the heart, And good news gives health to the bones. Proverbs
15.30 An anxious heart weighs a man down, But a kind word cheers
him up. Proverbs 12.25