To Be Smitten...

I’ve mentioned many times in this blog about how much I enjoyed making my late wife laugh.  There was just something special to me about seeing her burst out laughing… sometimes so hard that she had to stop and bend over and grab her thighs because her funny reaction was so strong that she became weak in the knees!  And without a doubt or moment’s hesitation… she liked to dish it right back!  So much so at times that we’d both find ourselves sitting on the floor, laughing until our sides hurt!

She liked to do sudden things that would surprise me in a very humorous way.  For instance… one day when the whole family was in the living room, she turned to me and said, “You know?  I can pick you up.”  To which I replied, “What?”  And she just gave me that cute daring look of hers and with a glint of mischief in her eyes said, “What… you don’t think that I can’t do it?”  So, with a bit of hesitation, I took the bait, got up and moved our heavy butcher block coffee table out of the way and stood in the middle of the room.  She took a quick look at the kids who were all sitting there with their mouths wide open, smiled, winked at them and then came up to me and said, “Ready?”

I was a little apprehensive with her bragging claims of physical strength… mainly because I probably weighed almost twice as much as she did… but she calmly said “just relax”, squatted down, put her arms around my upper legs and with a grunt… picked me up about a foot off the floor and carried me across the room! 

Following her feat of physical prowess, she set me down, wiped her hands together and bowed to the kids who by this time were laughing at the look on my face and clapping for their mom’s success!  I could go on and on about all the funny things we did with and to each other while we were dating, on our first camping adventure alone at the end of our honeymoon and then throughout the following 43 years of marriage.

Laughter, jokes and funny story telling came easy to us (most likely why we were such a good fit leading Children’s and Youth ministries… since practically day one of our relationship).  Looking back, I would say… and I know that Piper would agree… that the reason it came so easy was because we both possessed what Proverbs 17:22 describes as a “MERRY HEART” or a “CHEERFUL DISPOSITION.”

The traditional and most familiar King James translation says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”  The modern Message Bible paraphrase declares, “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.”  And The Passion Translation states the words of wisdom, most scholars attribute to Solomon, as stating that “A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression.” 

As one’s who tended to take a literal meaning from the Word of God, Piper and I saw the truth of Solomon’s words as written in this verse, come to fruition throughout the years… especially concerning the after effects of a broken spirit!  Since we normally lived our lives through the eyes and experience of a joyful disposition, I think it was easier for us to discern and want to reach out to individuals dealing with the symptoms associated with an attitude of gloom and doom, sadness, and depression.

I saw it at my secular jobs, in church and in our extended families as well.  It always amazes me to witness the power of a smile, a joyful countenance and an encouraging word to those in the throes of sadness, fear induced worry or a lifestyle of depression.  I did a little word study on the idea of a broken heart and discovered it also described in various translations as being “downcast, stricken, struck, crushed, distressed, sorrowful, sad” and the one that really caught my attention, “to be smitten.”

When Piper was attacked with the Alzheimer’s, we came across all kinds and types of people from various backgrounds, Christian beliefs, financial status, and ethnicities who took one look at her deteriorating physical changes and almost immediately seemed to be “smitten” with or “drawn” to the negative sides of our situation.

I’ve found out in life, that it is a whole lot easier to give into sadness and sorrow when troubles come upon us than it is to make a joyful, dedicated, consistent and Bible-based stand against what our senses are throwing at us!  But the rewards of fighting to stay positive, merry and maintain a cheerful disposition are well worth the effort, as the scriptures tells us that a “merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” and “is good for your health” while it “brings healing to both body and soul.”

Solomon and other writers of the Bible make a clear connection between an individual keeping a joyful heart that is trusting in God and His Word and their physical well-being.

The Bible Illustrator explains that “The connection between the mind and the body, though not to be explained, is so striking as to force itself upon the notice of the least observant” explaining that:

“The Value of a Cheerful Spirit (is such as):

1. It helps bodily health.

2. It is a clarifier and invigorator of the mind.

      3. It lubricates the wearing machinery of business and daily care.”

Then it implores the reader to “Consider the influence of cheerfulness and depression on the duties and the pursuits of life. When the heart is cheerful the duties of a man’s calling are a pleasure to him. How ingenious is the cheerful heart in finding the means of enjoyment and in extending these! On the other hand, when the spirit is broken the duties of a man’s profession are a burden to him.”

Like I’ve said… I’ve seen how important the maintenance of a JOYFUL, CHEERFUL HEART or DISPOSITION is in people’s lives… I’ve lived it and reaped its positive and healthful results… but on the other hand, I’ve also seen good people live sad and unproductive lives, be prone to sickness and then die young and/or seemingly lost and without hope…

All because they allowed themselves to be smitten by fear and unbelief which always tends to lead to sadness and sorry… opening the door to the potential of a “heart that is crushed and struggles with sickness and depression.”

So, which do you choose?  Which do you prefer to be prevalent in your life?  If Solomon was here… He’d encourage you to be smitten with JOYFULNESS every time!

Have a great weekend and keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!