Feel-Good Medicine

A merry heart doeth good like

a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

I remember the first time I took medicine that our doctor gave to my mother. I was really a little kid at the time. I had a sore throat and he put the small pills in a little white envelope. Dr. Harsha had a huge glass front cabinet with all sorts of bottles in it. Some bottles had pills in them and some had liquid in them. He told me to take the pills one at a time when my mother knew to give them to me. I had never swallowed a pill before. I think we ruined one in the teaching/learning process. My grandmother finally suggested to my mother to put the small white tablet in a spoon full of jelly. I ate most of the jelly and was left with a pill in my mouth, but the jelly thing finally worked.

Through the years, we've all taken medications at one time or another and we know the importance medications are to physical health. The verse above gives us a different kind of medicine though that we might never have heard of... that's the medicine of a merry heart. It isn't clear in this verse, but I believe a merry heart can have two sources. The first source would be someone we come in contact with who has a merry heart and their merriment is contagious. This is the person who can quickly cheer one up who is not well. She has a good heart which aids in her being an encourager. Whether physically ill or just down in the dumps, this is a person who can seem to make you feel better just by being around her.

I have also been around ladies who have gone through the toughest of situations. I'm thinking of a couple of friends with terminal cancer who had the merriest of hearts. Just being around them even in their final days, I saw them with a sincere smile and were still quick with little humorous quips that could cheer a visitor. I've had friends who have gone through some of the toughest situations life has to offer but who keep a cheerful and merry spirit. For them, it isn't pretense or acting...it's just who they are. These Christian friends of mine have found their joy not in the prognosis of a doctor, in medications or in the support of caregivers. They have found their merriment in their faith in Jesus Christ.

The other source of a merry heart is that heart that is within us. Jesus is the source of our personal joy and merriment. We should remember that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” We won't always have encouraging people around us. The greatest encouragement is from our Lord.

Please note that the verse says that a merry heart is LIKE a medicine. It doesn't say that a merry heart is THE medicine but that it can have a similar effect as a dose of medication given by a doctor.

The broken spirit spoken of is another thing. One thing we don't consider when ill whether physical or emotional is that our bones can be drastically affected. When anyone goes a long period of time with a broken spirit there are at least three things that can be affected:

• nerves in the body are weakened
• bone marrow tends to dry, and
• the human skeleton can be weakened
  

The adult body has 206 bones. They form the frame of the body as well as protecting the organs of the body. One of the most important jobs of the bones is to make blood...our red and white blood cells that are created in the marrow of our bones. White blood cells fight infections. White cells is where platelets are made that causes our blood to clot...a most important function. Red ones are made mostly in the flat bones of the body. The red cells carry oxygen through blood vessels and removes waste.

There's more that could be said about the bones but they don't just hold us up. They play a vital role in the chemical functions of the body.

Now, back to our verse. It states that a broken spirit dries the bones. When we are depressed, in the “pit” of life, hurt and all of those other things that cause us great distress, a broken spirit can result and the overall health of our bodies is being affected.

“But you don't know how bad my situation is,” you might say. No I don't, but God does and He is the only One who can mend a broken spirit. Anything we try to do to mend a broken spirit in ourselves is only a temporary fix, a band-aid on the wound. The answer lies in our reliance on our Lord, the healer of broken spirits and broken hearts.

There are two things at play in our verse that keep us healthy in mind and body...a merry, rejoicing, happy spirit that could cancel out the broken spirit. I know this all sounds too simple and I don't mean for it to sound like that. This is a heavy thing to tackle in our own spirits and body but God Himself knows us well. “For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” Psalm 103:14 He can empower us to be over comers and victorious in the worst of our days. He has provided for our being healthy in every way. He knows the importance of our being spiritually healthy that will contribute to our physical health as well.

Know ye that the LORD, He is God: it is He

that hath made us, and not we ourselves...

Psalm 100: 3

Have you noticed as I have how much we are reliant on our God for absolutely everything that even includes every breath we breathe, tear we shed, or beat of our hearts; and He is interested in it all. He is to be praised for all He does for and in us. Come to think of it, that process of praise will do much in bringing about more of a merry heart within us than we can imagine. May it be so.

Dear Father, You are so wise and all-knowing. If we would follow the principles of Your Word, we would be so much better off, and thus be happier and merrier of spirit. Heal our brokenness as only You can. We love you......Amen.

Don't Fence Me In

Oh, give me land lots of land under starry skies above.

Don't fence me in.

Let me ride thru the wide-open country that I love.

Don't fence me in.

Let me be by myself in the evening breeze,

Listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees

Send me off forever, but I ask you please,

Don't fence me in.

...Cole Porter

I used to hear Roy Rogers sing this song when I went to the Saturday afternoon cowboy movies at the State Theater in our town. I dearly loved this song. After all, I wanted to be a cowgirl when I grew up...along with being an Indian princess or a missionary to Africa. One reason I liked the song was that it was so picturesque. I could just see myself riding along on my horse (that I didn't have and would never have), riding over my imaginary prairie. The biggest hill on my imaginary prairie was in Mrs. Britton's back yard and it was only a hump of dirt.

Fast forward several years when my husband, children and I were going to be moving to the state of Texas. We moved from the northern part of the country to the Dallas, TX area. Garland, Texas beckoned to us and we were all excited about the move. Brian had a new job that was exciting and challenging, the children would be in a new Christian school, I would have the fun of settling the family in to a new area and really what seemed to be a very new culture.

We had a small, but new house built that put us in close proximity to the church we attended. I picked wall paper, tile, carpet color and the other things that have to be selected for a new house. Then I was asked a strange question and I believe Brian was there at the time. The contractor asked, “Do you want a fence?” Brian and I looked at each other before answering. Up north some people had fences but in most cases they were short, chain link fences mostly for the purpose of keeping pets in check. We had noticed in Garland that most houses had 6-8 foot wooden plank fences. I asked the contractor why we needed a fence. He was puzzled as if he had never given my question a thought. He then said that a fence would keep neighbors out of our swimming pool. Well, we didn't have a pool. He said it would provide privacy for us and a fence would keep out undesirables. I could understand the pool thing if we had a pool but to me a fence could protect thieves who might try to break in our back door and a fence would keep others from detecting what was going on. Well, in the end, we said no to the fence.

A few years later, we built another house out of need for more room. We went through the fence thing again. By now, my mind had gone back to my Roy Rogers song. Here we were in Texas with lots of land (not ours personally but Texas was BIG) and starry skies above and every contractor was wanting to fence me in. Our two houses had no fences. We refused to have them. One of the big things that became noticeable was that our backyards became the gathering places for neighborhood children. We had everything going....kick ball, soccer, cheerleader activity and general children fun play. They couldn't have all of that fun activity in anyone elses yard because of fences, pieces of wood, joined together that said, “Stay out.”

Fences serve two purposes as I see them. They keep out what you don't want in and they keep in what you don't want out. I'm not saying people shouldn't have fences. We had another house with one, but it was just our personal choice for appropriate reasons at the time.

I'm not as concerned about wooden fences that we might have constructed for whatever reasons. I'm thinking about the fences I have put up in time past to keep people out of my life. The slats on those fences to keep people out were made up of indifference, prejudice, apathy, laziness, pride, and the list could go on and on. When that fence is up, I don't have to be friendly or helpful and can just live life all unto myself. From a spiritual standpoint, that's a fence that needs torn down. You see, when we create our own fences, it is impossible for us to be the witnesses for Christ we are supposed to be.

I think it was Robert Frost who wrote in The Mending Wall that “Good fences make good neighbors.” Perhaps that is so for some folks where well defined boundaries are needed. Those fences signify ownership which can be necessary at times. We live in hostile days. I believe a good majority of people in our country are angry, especially when looking at the political and economical conditions we are dealing with. As frustrated as we feel, we can't take those feelings out on others, others who might desperately need a smile or even a helping hand. Building fences for the wrong reasons will never solve a problem. We need a sense of community in our lives. Our self made invisible fences must come down piece by piece if we are to be a Godly influence. It's hard to reach out over an 8 foot fence, a 6 foot fence...or any fence. No one else can tear down the fence I might be hiding behind. Tearing that fence down must come in cooperation between me and the Lord. When that fence comes down, there will be more “land lots of land” for me to walk in freedom.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ

hath made us free, and be not entangled again

with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1

Father, I want to walk in spiritual freedom. I don't want there to be any barriers between You and me that I may have unknowingly built around myself. Help me to tear down any fences I have erected that would keep me away from knowing and serving others. I love you. Amen

Let It Snow!

Purge me with hyssop, and  I

shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be

whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:6

I'm not sure, but for the many who have grown up in areas accustomed to snow, I can't help but wonder if a good snow doesn't take us back to those bygone days of childhood. I think I was about six years old and received the biggest shock in my life up to that point. Overnight, we had a huge snowfall. We lived in a house with a nice front porch but at the time, there were about 10 steps leading up to the porch. My mother had bundled me up with the galoshes, heavy coat with matching leggings, gloves and warm hat. She said she was getting my sled out of the garage to take me on a ride. I waited fairly near the bottom step, anticipating my ride on my sled. Suddenly, my mother stepped out on the porch, bundled up as well with sled in hand. Suddenly, in a funny, but loud voice, she called, “Look out below.” Much to my amazement as I looked toward the porch, there was my mother laying on her stomach on MY sled and down she came on those ice-covered steps. After a safe landing, she rolled off the sled, sat up and just began to throw snow all around her like she was a young girl again. I was one shocked little girl and even at that age, I must admit that I looked around to make sure no neighbors witnessed this spectacle.

Snow can be such a hazard but it can also be a lot of fun. As I got older, we had a certain hill near our house that all of the kids in the neighborhood gathered at on those days when snow was packed several inches on that street. We rode down Kolesar hill like there was no tomorrow. Sometimes my Dad would pull my sister and me on our sleds behind his car. He would drive very slow around a couple of nearby blocks. If anyone saw a parent doing that today, he would be reported to Child Protective Services but it sure was fun.

Psalm 51 is such a classic Psalm written by David. Talk about someone who had everything going for him...God's chosen servant, king, wealth, anything he wanted at his finger tips. In a moment of weakness, all he had amassed just wasn't enough and he fell into sin with a neighbor woman. He should have been with his army that had already gone to battle but he chose to stay home. He was in the wrong place...wrong time...and it got him into trouble. We all know the story of David's fall into deep sin but God didn't give up on David.

This is a psalm of repentance. There is hardly a piece of literature like it anywhere. In, day, it is rare to see a person who in such a public way, repents of sin and as king, David's repentance was obvious not only to God but also to his people as well.

Have you ever thought how white snow is? For a long time, I didn't realize that there are so many shades of white. Walk into a bridal salon and walk through the racks where so many beautiful dresses are hanging. It's easy to notice all the shades of white that are available to a bride. I would like to suggest, however, that I don't believe there is a white color whiter than snow. Wake up in the morning to a fresh, fallen snow where no one has walked on it and there hasn't been time for anything to mar the surface. Then, let the sunshine peek through for a few minutes, sunbeams that dance on that perfect surface and it is totally blinding. With bright sun on that brilliant, white surface, the human eye can't tolerate to look at it.

I think to the transfiguration with Jesus on that mount where Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, the white light almost blinding. Remember Paul on the road to Damascus, blinded by the bright light of Jesus' presence. Sun on snow must be something like that.

Look at some of the phrases David wrote in Psalm 51 and I wonder if you and I have ever experienced a repentance as deep and sincere as Davids:

Have mercy upon me, O God v1

Wash me v2

Create in me a clean heart v10

Renew a right spirit within me v10

Cast me not away from Thy presence v11

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation v12

There are times we are so busy keeping track of the sins of others, that we don't do anything about our own sin. I had to ask myself when the last time was that I went before the Lord seeking forgiveness for my sin and renewal of my spirit. Sometimes when I seek God's forgiveness, I don't take total, personal responsibility for my offenses toward Him. After all, aren't there people who cause us to sin....or....the devil made me do it? David knew his sin was his own with no one to blame but self.

The verse I love in this chapter though is where David pleads for God's cleansing. Verse 7 says: “ ...wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”    Only God can wash us so that we are whiter than snow and David knew that.  I just can't remember anything whiter than a sun drenched yard covered with new fallen snow......that's WHITE. God wants me to be just that clean and free of sin.  This thing of confession and repentance I'm afraid isn't as much a part of my spiritual practice as it ought to be. My personal prayer for this day is:

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole,

I want Thee forever to ransom my soul;

Break down every idol, cast out every foe

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow;

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.