The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. --Psalm 28:7

Author Norman Cousins told of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling disease in his book, The Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient. When Cousins was diagnosed as incurable, he decided to check out of the hospital. He was fully aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body, but Cousins reasoned that the reverse was true and decided to do something about it.

Once he was home, he determined to take action against the disease that was spreading through his body. He borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own treatment.

Each day, he watched Marx Brothers films and old "Candid Camera" reruns. It wasn't long before Cousins realized that ten minutes of laughter provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Amazingly, his incurable disease was eventually reversed. His victory appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine and afterward, he received more than 3,000 letters from appreciative physicians throughout the world.

God does not expect us to be serious Christians all the time. We're expected to lighten up and have some fun. Even Jesus had fun: playing with children, attending a wedding party, and socializing with everyday people. The Christian life may seem like a somber and boring journey, but it's not supposed to be that way.

Unfortunately, non-believers often view Christians as a "no-fun" crowd, but we know that the life of the believer is full of joy—joy that can only be found in Christ. When the negativity of the world darkens your day, praise Jesus for the fulfillment, purpose, and happiness we have in Him.

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank God for the joy you have in Jesus as a Christian. Pray that God would daily fill you with laughter and happiness through the Holy Spirit when the world gets you down. 

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