Laughter Is Medicine for the Soul

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” — Proverbs 17:22

Saturday night, Carl and I went on a date that felt like a vitamin for our souls. We joined a packed house at Hill Country Church in Austin for “Funny How Marriage Works” with comedian Michael Jr.

I’ve heard him live before and remembered how hilariously insightful he was. Carl hadn’t — but when he saw the ad, we searched YouTube, watched one of his sets, laughed out loud right there in our living room, and said, “We’re going!”

And oh, was it worth it. Michael had the whole auditorium roaring — especially when he interviewed unsuspecting couples and turned their answers into pure comedy gold. I watched Carl laugh until his shoulders shook. I might have snorted once or twice!

Somewhere between the punchlines and the marriage tips, I was reminded: God invented laughter. He wired our bodies so that joy actually heals us. Medical studies agree — laughter lowers blood pressure, boosts immunity, relieves stress, and releases those feel-good endorphins. But long before research proved it, God told us: “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”

Marriage needs that medicine. Friendship needs it. Life needs it. Laughter breaks down walls when words can’t. It turns ordinary moments into memories. It loosens our white-knuckle grip on control and reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Even Jesus used humor — think about a camel through the eye of a needle, or a plank sticking out of someone’s eye while they hunt for a speck in another’s. God’s Word isn’t afraid of joy; it invites it.

Maybe you’ve been living under a cloud of seriousness, feeling the weight of hard headlines and harder days. Friend, take a holy breath — and a holy laugh. Watch something funny. Share a story that still makes you giggle. Let your heart remember that joy is not frivolous; it’s medicine.

Carl and I drove home lighter last night. Stronger, even. That’s what joy does: it heals, it connects, and it reminds us that the Author of life is also the Giver of laughter. I’m convinced God smiled with us!!

#JoyfulLiving #LaughterHeals #FaithAndFun