Did you know that a cheerful heart will be good for you? Yes, it will indeed! Showing love to others instead of indifference or hate, won't be bad for you or the world either. How is your heart? Is it hard, soft, pliable, down, broken, crushed, or upbeat and grateful?
A group of behavioral scientists once revealed the results of an experiment they conducted after World War II. They said that many orphans where roaming around family-less in Germany at that time and they decided to do a study with two groups of these neglected little children. They found 100 children and put half of them in one group, and the other half in another test group. And then they really got started with it.
One of the groups of kids where given everything that they physically needed. You know, they were given healthy food, clothing, shelter, a warm place to sleep ..as well as giving them lots of warm loving attention and gentle affection. The other 50 children had their physical needs met except they received no loving attention or affection.
Very sad huh. Man, I don't know how these guys could even do this.
Now after 365 days had passed, both groups of children were then tested a bit. Those children who received the loving affection and tender human care were literally an average of two inches taller and several pounds heavier. They were well-adjusted and merry of heart.
The other group of kids simply experienced more diseases and sickness physically, let alone the emotional challenges.
My old California pastor, Chuck Smith, when he has sent groups of short-term missionaries over seas into Romania (and he has done this several times..), he has made it one of their main priorities on such trips to hold and give tender affection to the orphan children there ...as well as to accurately share the Gospel with the people. Man, it's because he knows that the children need this type of caring attention so desperately. It just makes them laugh more and grow up better! They are more cheerful of heart. Who doesn't need the the Love of God and to pass it on to others?
Need a holy, genuinely caring touch yourself? God can touch you, heal you and meet all your needs! Did you know that joyous laughter is like healing medicine for people? Proverbs 17:22 says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength" (nlt). People are uniquely made by God in such a way that they are the ones who can weep, blush, and chuckle. What animal can do those three things? We are so blessed to be able to do these three things. God ordained it to be like that, because "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…"
Hey gang, this is simple to apply if you are in God's Kingdom. Chose to reject all negative complaining, cold-heartedness, murmuring and instead decide to love people and have a cheerful heart in Jesus Christ!
