Written by Sean C. Harrison Feb. 21, 2019
Have you ever been so sad you couldn’t do much of anything? Sadness is one thing that weighs you down. You don’t have to go very far in life to find reasons to be broken and dejected. It could be the loss of a relative, a job, betrayals as well as so many other things which spiral us into the world of depression.
After having first been diagnosed with mental illness, my mind was taken to very dark places. My thought processes were jumbled and disjointed. I experienced delusions and was not able to function as a normal human being. The prospect of having to take medication for perhaps the rest of my life was quite daunting.
Having had to leave my first job, I didn’t know what I was going to do next. Life had taken this unexpected, sudden turn that changed my existence forever. Though there would have been many times I would have gone under I particularly look back on the very first year of the illness with a bit of fondness. The reason was a very kind, jovial lady who worked with my mother as a domestic helper.
She came just in the period where my mind was in dark despair. Bewildered as to what she could do to get me out of my doldrum, she accounted later, an idea came to her. She said to herself, “Why not tell Sean some old time jokes about experiences I had living in my communities in St. Thomas, Jamaica our parish?” So little by little she started making me laugh.
Each day I would look forward to her coming in the mornings and settling in while doing her work to some hilarious factual account. Slowly, I started turning around and before I knew it, I was back to my old self again. Sometimes we get fooled into thinking God doesn’t have a sense of humour. Proverbs 17:22 KJV says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones”.
Can you imagine laughter being considered to be like medicine? Yes, friends. The Lord knowing how difficult the road of life is made sure He blessed us all with a sense of humour. I would imagine that by the very action of laughter where the lungs expand and contract, extra oxygen is delivered to our cells, tissues and organs; blood flow and circulation increase and opioids are released. Good, clean fun is for the child of God as well. It is also said in the Word of God: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Can you imagine drawing strength from a merry heart?
Today, my challenge to us all is to find people who lift us up, not only in prayer but laughter also. We will see the big changes that come about as a result of adding this ingredient to life. Lyn made me laugh as well as other friends like: Odea, Ms. English, Rev. Gordon, Pat Nini, Janine, Camille as well as Miss Una. I thank God I have been able to smile through my trials. My heavy load was lightened because God gave me this gift. If you’re down today, ask the Lord to grace your life with people and situations that fill your heart with joy and watch your health spring forth like the morning and best of all your outlook. Your way will become brighter as hope fills your soul.