A Merry Heart
” A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
It seems like people don’t laugh much anymore. And what many in the world find humorous isn’t really funny, at least not to me. Many stand-up comics use various forms of sin as the subject of their jokes. There is a lot of vulgarity in some of their routines, and I think people laugh more out of embarrassment than because it is funny, that is, at least I hope there is still some standard of morality left in this old sin-cursed world. It has been said that if things that are ungodly, perverted, and morally unacceptable are used to make people laugh, then it is not long before these ungodly and/or perverted things become acceptable with society. That has certainly been proven true as any God-fearing person over the age of 40 can attest to that fact.
Even some of the commercials on television have become rather risqué. There was one that I saw where they were using sex to sell cat food! I remember years ago that a bra commercial would show the bra on a mannequin and not a real woman, but now the Victoria’s Secret commercials look like something that was likely printed in men’s magazines years ago. I find the toilet tissue commercials a little too graphic as the little bear shakes his hinny or the one where the man is wearing a package of toilet tissue when he goes out to pick up the morning paper. They must pay those actors some big bucks to do that.
We are in a world in need of some good news, but good news doesn’t sell or increase ratings. To watch the news is depressing. It certainly doesn’t lead to a merry heart to be inundated with all the shootings, name-calling, lies, and threats that we hear constantly. A daily dose of this stuff only leads to a broken spirit, that is, depression, worry, and defeat. I guess society has become so “sophisticated” that good, old-fashioned clean humor is no longer funny to many. Many are addicted to pornography which leads men and women to become dissatisfied with their spouse and wastes valuable time that could be spent engaging with family and friends.
Even if there is very little over which to have a good belly laugh, one that makes us laugh until we cry, and one that diffuses anxiety and depression, those of us who know God and honor Him can still have a merry heart because we know that He has everything under control and our future is bright. I have always been one who is modest about my appearance and speech. Call me a “prude” if you want to, but following Christ and attempting to emulate the life that is pleasing to Him has served me well. I’ll take the “Andy Griffith Show” any day over “Sex and the City”.