SOLOMON’S PRESCRIPTION

I read a bumper sticker which says, “Don’t take life too seriously. You won’t get out of it alive anyway.” This one makes us pause, hitting us straight with a jolt, breaking our uptight lips into a  smile, with the thought that the wise guy who cooked up the lines is absolutely right. Most us take ourselves too seriously that we have forgotten to look at the lighter side,  smile at the sea of gloomy faces  we meet every day, or even laugh at our own folly. The air hangs heavy with tension or distress beating down upon us. A good laugh is a welcome relief, like medicine.   Wise King Solomon in his Divinely inspired Proverbs said, “A merry heart doeth good like medicine” (Proverbs 17:22)

Wise old King Solomon handed out a strong prescription for healing, of both mind and body. The prescribed medicine is a “merry heart” unlikely to be found in all the drugstores. The healing power of happiness has been established in the laboratory of life’s experiences. Bad news makes one sick, good news makes him feel pleasant all over. There are people whose presence alone is as refreshing as the morning,  and there are some whose shadows darken the otherwise lighter shade of the soul.  Another wise man said, “To be sure there will always be a note of sadness in the world. But there is also a note of  gladness. There is calm and tranquility after the storm. There is light and beauty after the tempest. No matter how dark the day God gives us a song.”

The author of the bumper sticker probably did not mean that we need not take life seriously. Life is very much precious  to be taken lightly. But our attitude in life need not be grave, somber or dull. Solomon advises that we put on a merry heart. The Word of God teaches us to rejoice in Him always. Joy is that inner peace and contentment  regardless of circumstances, because God is in control. The Merry Heart which Solomon speaks about is not the rowdy, raucus jesting, or artificial laughter  impelled by worldly pleasures. It is the joy and inner peace that comes from God,  transcending human understanding. A child of God who radiates love joy and peace is like good medicine. He refreshes others.