A MERRY HEART

060 – AUGUST 2008

A MERRY HEART

Luke 24:17 “And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these, that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?”

I remember when Pastor Bob Walton posed a question that went something like this – “When you end a conversation, the person with whom you spoke can affect you to feel refreshed or to feel sapped. How do people leave a conversation with you?”
I have always tried to fill my conversation with positive words and encouragement. I surely desire to have people leave a conversation refreshed and not sapped.

Sophia is my 12 year old granddaughter. Just recently, I walked into her bedroom and tried to calm her emotions over a minor distress. I began by imparting wisdom and consolations. And, as I continued to strike conversation - her brother Sam walked in the door. Sam is 5 years old and he asked, “What are you guys talking about?”
I responded by asking him to step into the hallway and we would be done in 5 minutes. Sophia and I began to speak and were disrupted from the hallway in a melodious “I can h-e-a-r you.”
I said, “Sam, close the door.”
I turned to Sophia and noticed a slight smile on her face. We tried to resume our talk when from the other side of the door came “I can still h-e-a-r you.”
Sam knew perfectly well that he was being comical. Sophia’s smile grew and I fueled the comic relief by asking Sam to step back and stand on the hallway carpet. Within a minute we heard, “I can still h-e-a-r you. What are you t-a-l-k-i-n-g about."
We both laughed out loud. We threw up our hands in surrender and Sophia jumped off the bed … healed of all distress.

Proverbs 15:15 “… but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.”

So, I want to step it up a bit. I surely want to refresh but I also desire to be more light hearted. I would love to use more quips and clever comebacks. I would like tap into the satire and wit of a Mark Twain, a Winston Churchill, or a Will Rogers. I know that all of those great men participated in some very weighty conversations, but they all seemed to have a knack for being cleverly lighthearted at precise moments. The serious times will come and will require somber and thoughtful conversation. But what about the rest of the times?
Some of my friends that have this knack of lighthearted quick wit – Bryan, my son in law / Aaron, my son / Dan, the Chiropractor / Brian, the BK computer genius / … to name a few. When you leave conversation with them, you are not only refreshed but you usually have a smile on your face.
And there are those who really enjoy laughing – My mom had an easy and contagious laugh. Also, Pat, my wife / Herm, the Pastor / Sarah, the photographer / Arlene, the Dentist… to name a few more.

Pr 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

So – step it up a bit. Be refreshing. Laugh. And bring laughter. Think about it. It’s like medicine to the soul. And Sam is “getting it” … at 5 years old.