A Free Vacation
“Laughter,” said the great comedian, Milton Berle, “is an instant vacation.” It appears that he benefited from his health-giving philosophy of humor; he lived to 93 and had an entertainment career that spanned over 80 years.
Life can be tough, but one of the best ways of coping is to focus the mind on cheerful things. It isn’t so much what happens to us that affects us. The bigger issue is how we think about what happens. Seeing humor in things, or simply focusing on the benefit of circumstances, can often help us to survive and thrive.
A man moved into an apartment complex and soon discovered that his next door neighbor liked to turn music on at 4 a.m. The music was heard every morning at the same time, disturbing his sleep. At his first chance, he knocked on his neighbor’s door, intending to politely ask if he would please not turn the music on so early. The attempted request ended with a door slammed in his face.
Perplexed, he wondered what to do. Then he remembered that he had previously wanted to develop a habit of early rising. The idea occurred to him to let the neighbor’s music serve as his alarm clock. Soon he was regularly waking at 4, aided by the neighbor’s radio, and getting a head start on the day, which increased his productivity. What seemed at first to be an irritation was transformed into a benefit. And his feelings got better.
The Bible promises improvements in our mental health if we choose to dwell on cheerful things. Wrote the Psalmist: “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you” (Psalm
116.7). When he thought about God’s goodness to him, his peace of mind, or “rest” as he called it, returned.We all face times of discouragement. One of the best cures for depression is to change our thinking. Instead of taking divine blessings for granted, try to recall specific ways God has helped you in the past. As you dwell on these good memories, you will begin to enjoy a free vacation of the heart that refreshes and energizes you.
By Barry Kimbrough, pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist churches of Cave Junction, Brookings, and Gold Beach
