Humor Is Good For The Body And Soul

Every now and then I like to do an article on humor because it is good for the body and soul. It is beneficial for people’s physical and emotional health. It has been shown to reduce stress, improve moods, strengthen the immune system, and protect the cardiovascular system. Laughter is good for mental health and for enhancing relationships and socialization. Even the Bible talks about this. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is a good medicine…” Ecclesiastes 3:4 adds there is “A time to weep a time to laugh.”

Laughter has been called “the best medicine.” Here are three “doses” of jokes that are good for your body and soul. The first one is from former President Ronald Reagan.

“An older pastor figured out a way to wake up his congregation if they begin to nod off. At some point in his sermon, he would say that the night before he held in his arms, a woman who was not his wife. That would wake them up. After they recovered from the shock, He then said that it was his mother. The older pastor told that to a younger pastor. The younger pastor said I’ll try that also. So right in the middle of his sermon, the younger pastor said last night I held in my arms a woman who was not my wife, but instead of saying it was his mother, mistakenly said, I forgot who she was.”

“The pastor came to visit one of his parishioners, a woman in her 90’s and a shut-in. When the pastor inquired about her readiness for eternal life, the woman replied, ‘Yes, Pastor, I think about the hereafter all the time. I decide I want something from the kitchen, and by the time I get up from the chair, grab my cane, and make my way into the kitchen, I stand there wondering what in the world I’m here after.’” *

” An elderly man and his wife, married 60 years and in good health because of the wife’s insistence on healthy eating, died together in a car crash. They stepped into heaven together and were greeted by St. Peter, who began showing them around their new home. The couple was astounded. They were thrilled to meet their friends who had passed away. ‘This is truly paradise’ the wife exclaimed. Just then, the husband spied a splendid golf course. ‘How much are the green fees?’ the man asked Saint Peter. ‘Like everything else here, it’s free,’ St. Peter replied. ‘You can play whenever you like’ Angrily, the man turned to his wife. ‘If it weren’t for you making me eat broccoli,’ he growled, ‘I could have been here years ago!’” *

However, heaven and the afterlife is no laughing matter. Are you prepared for eternity in the presence of God? Do you know for sure you were going to heaven? “Believe in the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life”(I John 5:13). If you have not already done so, accept Jesus Christ as your savior today.

*These two jokes were taken from A Senior Moment is just a Wrinkle in Time, Product Concepts, Pages 31 and 119, respectively.