"Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place," so said American humorist Mark Twain.

In this crazy world of bad news, we need humor! Sadly, it is our nature, a human tendency, to focus on shocking, tragic, and overall negative news and information. It fascinates us and we're simply draw to it. We have a need to know what is happening around us and rightly so. But is it healthy to always be serious and focus on the negative?

In Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit zaps a person's strength" (New Living Translations) This scripture is two-fold: 1. "A cheerful heart is good medicine," 2. "But a broken spirit zaps us of our strength and energy." Oh, how true that is.

We live in a world where medicine seems to be the quick fix for all our ailments which includes depression, but how about considering the medicine of humor? Humor and laughter have been proven to be a good medicine for the mind, for the heart, and for the soul, as mentioned in Proverbs 17:22.

Our minister, Steve Myers, United Church of God, Cincinnati East congregation, taps into that humor medicine, with a joke or two each Sabbath and many tease him about his jokes, which sometimes are corny but funny anyway. It is a good thing, as research shows how therapeutic it is to laugh. We live in a very negative, strife-filled world, so humor goes hand in hand with fellowshipping on the Sabbath. The Sabbath day is a day of worship of our great Creator, which also includes rest, and joy; forgetting about all that is going on around us.

The Story of Lucille Ball

The other night I was watching a documentary about Lucille Ball. We all know Lucy from the TV show, I Love Lucy, but Lucy did not start out with humor. Lucille Ball got her start as a singer, model, and film star before becoming one of America's top comedic actresses in the 1950s. At the age of 15, Lucy convinced her mother to allow her to enroll in a New York City drama school. But despite her longing to make it on the stage, Ball was too nervous to draw much notice. The school finally wrote her mother, "Lucy's wasting her time and ours. She's too shy and reticent to put her best foot forward." With that discouraging news and ready to give up her short lived career, Lucy's mother encouraged her to continue on.

Lucy continued to seek after more serious roles as a model or acting, and to no great success. On one occasion, as Lucy was trying to gracefully come down some steps on stage with the show girls, while balancing a large head piece on her head, she slipped but recovered. Lucy just leaned against the wall and gave the audience her goofy grin. The audience loved it, and a star was born in comedy that day.

Many of us have laughted for hours at the I Love Lucy show. Lucy had a knack for turning any serious situation she got herself into with laughter. You just felt good after watching her show. Lucy once said, "I'm happy that I have brought laughter because I have been shown by many the value of it in so many lives, in so many ways" (Brainy Quote Website). Her show was a success because she did not take herself seriously and could laugh at herself even when she got into trouble. Let's look at some famous people's thoughts on laughter.

Some Famous Peoples Quotes on Laughter

"I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." ― Audrey Hepburn

"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane." ― Robert Frost

"Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine." ― Lord Byron

"It is cheerful to God when you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart." ― Martin Luther King Jr.

"Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness - the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living." ― Seán O'Casey

"Whatever it is probably won't go away, so we might as well live and laugh through it. When we double over laughing, we're bending so we won't break. If you think your particular troubles are too heavy and too traumatic to laugh about, remember that laughing is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't solve any problems permanently, but it makes things more acceptable for awhile." ― Barbra Johnson

So How Does Laughter Work

How Laughter Works by Marshall Brain explains that laughter does many things. It reduces stress and benefits the immune system, which helps us fight diseases. Laughter is also a great exerciser. Laughing 100 times provides as much as 15 minutes on an exercise bike, and laughter is great for your mental health. It actually releases stored up negative emotions such as anger, fear and sadness (How Laughter Works - HowStuffWorks.com).

There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health. Dr. Marvin E. Herring, said, "The diaphragm, thorax, abdomen, heart, lungs and even the liver are given a massage during a hearty laugh." Dr. William F. Fry of Stanford University said that "laughter stimulates the production of the alertness hormones catecholamines. These hormones in turn cause the release of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins foster a sense of relaxation and well-being and dull the perception of pain" (The Healing Power of Laughter - christianity.about.com)

Cultural anthropologist, Mahadev Apte says, "Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter [there is], the more bonding [occurs] within the group" (How Laughter Works - HowStuffWorks.com)

W. Grant Lee says, "Shared laughter creates a bond of friendship. When people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, worker and driver. They have become a single group of human beings, enjoying their existence."

The Benefits of Laughter

- Decrease in stress hormone levels

- Strengthening of the immune system

- Muscle relaxation

- Pain reduction

- Lowering of blood pressure

- Cardiovascular conditioning

- Natural anti-depressant

We all have our trials to deal with, but traveling that difficult road with laughter energizes us, changes our negative emotions and is a wonderful medicine to the soul. "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones" (Proverbs 17:22)

We all need to lighten up and not take ourselves too seriously. Elbert Hubbard once said, " Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive" (Brainy Quote Website).

Here are steps to do to help you take life a little less seriously

Don't be so serious and:

- You will worry less

- Enjoy life more and be more fulfilled

- Be willing to try new things more often

- Laugh more often

- Expose your true-self

- Connect with people on a deeper level

- Experience more moments of significance

"Joy, humor, and laughter should be part of everyone's spiritual life. They are gifts from God and help us enjoy creation." ― James Martin .

Laughter is one of the great gifts God has given us. God knew the importance of laughter way before the scientists discovered how valuable it is to our well-being. It is an important ingredient to our survival in this difficult world. So laugh and do it often. Watch a funny movie. Use the gift that God has given and laugh.