The Saving Grace

Scripture References: Job 8:21; John 20:20

When he and his companions talked about the prison sentences they had received, they found themselves laughing hilariously, Solzhenitsyn wrote. It cleansed them. It was the salvation of their bodies. Laughter is indeed good medicine. For one thing, it stimulates like exercise, increases the heart rate and blood pressure, enhances blood circulation, and promotes movement of oxygen and nutritional components throughout the body. It also relieves pain, presumably by releasing endorphins into the bloodstream. Laughter also breaks the cycle of negative feelings that invariably produces tension, which in turn hastens negative feelings.

Different levels of laughter have a progressive effect on our body. A smile produces activity in the face, neck, scalp, and shoulder muscles. Add mirth to a smile and you work the muscles around the ribs. Explode with laughter and the whole system vibrates. It provides good exercise for the whole body.

God made us to laugh, after all. He himself has a roaring sense of humor; his creation of the orangutan is proof of that, as is the coelacanth (a fish that stands on its head),and the giraffe of such ridiculous, yet graceful proportions. We’ll never die laughing, but it just might contribute to a longer, healthier, more positive life.

Courtesy of Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations by Virgil Hurley © 1995 by Word, Incorporated.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.