The Cheerful HeartProverbs 17:22
No. 302A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.Proverbs 17:22
Joy is not trivial — it's medicinal. The cheerful heart has physiological, psychological, and relational benefits that science confirms and Scripture proclaimed first. And the crushed spirit — the joyless, hopeless inner life — has the opposite effect. Joy is worth pursuing.
Reflect
On the spectrum from cheerful to crushed, where is your spirit today? What is one thing that genuinely lifts your heart?
Prayer
Lord, give me a cheerful heart — not forced optimism, but the deep joy that comes from knowing You. Be my good medicine. Amen.