Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week (29 page)

My wise mother was releasing the healing God put on the inside. If she couldn’t find something funny to watch, she’d just go look at my brother, Paul. That always made her laugh.

In case you missed it, my mother is still laughing today. Doctors had given her only a few months to live, but more than thirty years later she is cancer-free. That’s the miracle of faith with a healthy dose of laughter.

Our immune systems are made up of millions of cells. The only purpose for some of these cells is to attack and kill anything foreign to the body. They’re called “NK” or “natural killer” cells. They’re responsible for searching out certain harmful bacteria and viruses and destroying them. One of their main functions is to attack the cells that commonly cause cancer. Researchers have found that every person develops these abnormal cancerous cells on a regular basis. Our natural killer cells usually go to work and make sure they are destroyed. But negative emotions like stress, worry, fear, anxiety, and depression weaken the natural killer cells.

Studies have shown that those who are happy and laugh regularly not only develop more of these natural killer cells than the average person, but the cells’ activity is increased. So when you’re good-natured, see the humor in life, and aren’t stressed out, these beneficial cells function at their highest level.

With so much sickness and sadness in the world today, I don’t know why people don’t tap into the healing power of laughter more. It’s a free cure with no side effects. You can take it as often as you’d like. I’m no doctor, but I’ll write you a prescription today.

Here it is: At least three times a day, every day, take a strong dose of humor. Find something funny that makes you laugh out loud. No chuckling. No laughing on the inside. Release that joy into the atmosphere so everyone can hear it. Trigger those endorphins, your natural tranquilizers.

A doctor friend told me about a woman with a severe case of fibromyalgia. This disorder of unknown origins causes widespread and chronic pain throughout the body. This woman spent many hours in bed suffering. She also had chronic fatigue and was very depressed.

Her doctor treated the pain with medications, but he felt the pills were treating only the symptoms and not the cause. In talking to her, the doctor realized how depressed she was. Then he asked her an interesting question: “How long has it been since you’ve had a good, hearty laugh?”

The lady had to think about it a moment.

“Doctor,” she said, “I haven’t laughed that way in more than thirty years, since I was a child.”

“Well, here’s your prescription,” he said. “ Go watch every funny movie you can find. Go read every humorous book you can get your hands on, and laugh as much as you possibly can.”

She followed his prescription and little by little, her joy returned. The pain subsided. Her energy was restored. Three months later she returned to the doctor for a checkup. The moment she walked in, he could see the difference. There was a sparkle in her eye, a spring in her step, a smile on her face.

“Doctor,” she said, “I’ve never felt so good in all my life.”

In the months that followed, she continued to laugh more and more. Her laughter cleansed her body of whatever was causing her pain.

Let me ask you what the doctor asked her: How long has it been since you’ve had a good, hearty laugh? A day? A week? A month? A year? Ten years? Make sure you’re taking your medicine.

I know when I’ve had a hard, pressure-filled day: I have a backache down the center of my spine. I know it’s from tension. To relieve that pain, I do just what I’m asking you to do. I’ll go play with my children. They always make me laugh. Or, I’ll watch something funny on television.

Invariably, after a few minutes of laughing, that pain is totally gone. It’s just like I had a good massage but cheaper. The medicine of laughter will save you money. No more buying sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and antidepressants!

Psalm 2:4 says that God sits in the heavens and laughs. Can you envision that? Right now God is on the throne. He’s not mad. He’s not worried about the economy. He’s not upset with you and me. God is on the throne, full of joy.

Psalm 37:13 explains why He’s laughing: “The Lord laughs at [the wicked], for He sees that their own day [of defeat] is coming” (
AMP
). In other words, the reason God laughs is because He knows the end of the story. He knows the final outcome. The good news is, you and I win. God always causes us to triumph!

It’s just like we are in a fixed fight. The outcome is predetermined by God. Imagine you knew who’d win the Super Bowl before the kickoff. No
matter how far behind the eventual winner fell, no matter how bad it looked for them, you wouldn’t worry. You had inside information. You knew the final outcome.

That’s what God is saying: When it gets tough and things don’t look like they’ll work out, you can laugh by faith, knowing that God has already written the final chapter. God has already recorded the victory in your favor.

He’s saying: In famine, when it gets tough, look that trouble in the face and say, “Ha, ha, ha! I know the outcome. God has destined me to win. He’s already put my name on the trophy. He’s already seen me standing on the podium as a winner.”

God gave Abraham a promise that he would father a child. In the natural it was impossible. He was much too old. But the first thing Abraham did when he heard God’s promise was to laugh (see Genesis 17:17). His was the laugh of faith. He said, in effect, “Ha, ha! God, I know You can bring this to pass. I know You are a supernatural God.”

And so often when God puts a promise in our hearts it looks impossible. Maybe you’re sick and God has assured you you’ll be healthy again. Or maybe you are struggling financially, but God is saying you’re coming into overflow. He will prosper you. Perhaps your family is pulled apart. God promises to heal the bonds.

Your mind may have doubts. But remember to laugh in faith like Abraham, because it’s just a matter of time before those promises come to pass. You are in a fixed fight.

I’m asking you today to get in the habit of taking your medicine on a regular basis. Every day, find some reason to laugh. Look for opportunities. If you don’t think you have a reason, then just know you can laugh by faith. Keep a happy heart and a cheerful mind, and you will enjoy life more; even better, you will feel God’s natural tranquilizers flow through you.

I
knew a steep charge was coming when I went to the airline counter to change the dates on four round-trip tickets. After I handed the tickets to the agent, she confirmed my fear.

“That will be fifty dollars extra per ticket,” she said.

I laughed and smiled. “Yeah, I figured there would be a charge,” I said.

My reaction seemed to surprise the ticket agent. “Why are you laughing?” she said. “Most people would be upset.”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “I guess I’m just a happy person.”

She shook her head and went to work on her computer. A few seconds later she handed me my new tickets and said, “I’m not charging you anything extra. We need more happy people around here.”

The rest of that day I went around smiling and laughing at everybody who crossed my path! I’d always heard that being happy paid off, but this was the first time I’d actually pocketed some cash.

My guess is that the airline ticket agent had dealt with all sorts of cranky and stressed-out people before I walked up to her counter. I wasn’t happy about the thought of paying extra for changing my tickets, but I’d decided that the ticket agent didn’t make the rules, so why should she have to deal with my unhappiness? I made the decision to treat her with good humor instead.

The old saying claims you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. I never knew why anyone would want to attract flies, but I get the point: Being nice will take you further than being a grouch.

Is there always a payoff for wearing a smile instead of a frown? I think so. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll enjoy better health with a positive approach to life, and also you will attract more friends, supporters, encouragers, and well-wishers.

When faced with unpleasant situations and challenging times, we need one another more than ever. Yet, too often, stressed-out people circle the wagons and isolate themselves. They become uptight and cranky, driving people off even though they need support more than ever at that point. The more pressure you feel and the more isolated you become, the more you should look for opportunities to smile and share a laugh to draw people to you.

These days you hear constant reports of doom and gloom. More trouble in the economy. Higher taxes. A soaring deficit. Home foreclosures. A tight job market.

If you are not careful, you can fall into a trap of thinking,
This is no time to enjoy my life. This is certainly no time to laugh, no time to have a sense of humor.

But in hard times, more than ever, activate your joy. In fact, Job 5:22 says, “You shall laugh at destruction and famine” (
NKJV
). At first that may not seem to make sense. We’re supposed to laugh at famine? We’re supposed to laugh at destruction?

Yes, that’s exactly right, because in tough times you run a greater risk of losing your joy, so consciously keep your good humor and optimism up in the worst of times. If you become depressed, your brain shuts down, you lose your creativity, and you isolate yourself from friends and family. But the darkest days are when you need all of those assets the most.

Being joyful by laughing and enjoying even the small things reduces the effects of stress, increases brain activity, and heightens creativity, all of which can help you overcome your challenges in difficult times. We use the left side of the brain in most situations, but when we laugh we light up the right side. Research shows that people who’ve been struggling with a problem and feel stuck tend to do much better if they take a break and
enjoy a good laugh. The experts say that without laughter, our thought processes can become stuck, our focus narrows, and our ability to solve problems is limited.

The bottom line is this: If you have a sense of humor and you laugh regularly, your mind lights up. You come up with fresh ideas and make better decisions. As a result, your problem-solving abilities are increased.

Sometimes, especially as leaders and as parents, we think being serious and solemn shows our maturity. We want to set a good example at home and at the office. We want to be responsible role models, but being serious all the time isn’t good for us or for those who look up to us. Sure, there are times that call for being serious and focused, but there are also times when we need to lighten up, to demonstrate that we can handle pressure and stay in good humor so that creative solutions can be found.

Laughter and good humor offer a common denominator and a shared language. They build bonds that hold social networks together. A friendly smile draws people to you. Personal warmth melts away social barriers and eases natural reserve. How many times have you shared a laugh with a total stranger? How many times has that laugh sparked a conversation or led to a friendship? A romance? A working relationship?

A smile brings down the walls. Humor attracts people and bonds them to one another. That’s one reason I start every sermon with a joke. It makes people more receptive. When I was growing up, my father’s church held an annual Christmas banquet in the ballroom of a Houston hotel at the Galleria Mall. A thousand people attended those banquets.

Each year, the highlight of our Christmas banquet would be a fifteen-minute blooper film of funny things that had happened in church. We’d show clips of people sleeping and yawning through my dad’s sermons. We might have other clips of kids acting up that we’d show in slow motion. Then we’d edit together various clips from my father’s sermons, but we’d
make him say funny things, or we’d speed him up and make him repeat the same phrase again and again so he sounded like a rap artist.

The audience would laugh for fifteen minutes nonstop. They’d still be laughing when the show ended and the lights came on. I’ll never forget how all the serving crew from the hotel would come out to watch this video. The waiters, the cooks, and the busboys would line up along the walls around the ballroom to laugh with us.

Since the hotel was part of a mall, shoppers would hear the laughter, too. Within a few minutes, there would be a couple hundred people gathered at the doors, looking in and enjoying the fun.

Every now and then, I’d hear about a new member of the congregation who went shopping at the mall and found a place of worship with us, thanks to our ability to laugh and have fun while being strong in our faith. I guess it’s no surprise that blooper shows and specials are so popular on television. Year after year, while other more polished and more sophisticated shows fade away, people still watch the bloopers because they are so funny.