Be of Good Cheer
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
-- Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
I know a thing or two about medicine. I’ve been a licensed pharmacist for over 30 years. Still, I’ve counseled patients that never fully recovered from chronic ailments. Despite good lab results and multiple prescriptions, their physical health continually reflected their emotional and mental battles. Headaches, muscle tension, hair loss, dermatitis, panic attacks, digestive issues, and sleep disturbances are only a few symptoms often caused by stress.
I’ve personally battled medical issues that were secondary to grief. I’ve also received a diagnosis of “stress” more times than I’d care to admit. As Christ followers, we don’t always follow to the extent that we should. Rather than casting our cares, we can carelessly carry one burden after another. But God has a better way. Though I enjoy serving patients as a healthcare professional, I have seen God’s healing through prayer and scripture more times than I can count.
Good medicine resolves symptoms without causing adverse side effects. Most prescriptions cannot remedy one symptom without inadvertently creating another. However, God’s Word is faultless. When we learn to discard unforgiveness, regret, envy and other ills that spiritually crush us, we can maintain cheerful hearts and healthier bodies.
Merriam-Webster defines cheery as “full of good spirits.” I dare say that a better description is full of the Spirit. When we allow ourselves to fill up with God, that doesn’t leave room for much else. A cheerful heart experiences trials, but it views them from a lens of gratitude.
Consider that the book of Matthew quotes Jesus saying, “be of good cheer,” twice—once to a paralytic and again to the woman with the issue of blood. Both were healed by our Savior. What appears to be kind words of encouragement may have instead been the Great Physician’s directive on how to remain well.
The medicine we need isn’t always in a pharmacy. God’s Word works.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Identify a situation currently causing anxiety in your life?
2. Have you asked the Lord to give you the proper perspective regarding that issue?
