Finding Hope in the Valley: Choosing a Cheerful Heart

Happy Sunday. It's hard to believe that I've been retired for six years now. One of the ministry opportunities that I'm involved in at this point is funerals. Lots of them.

Each year, I average more than one a week. I meet a lot of great people. I hear a lot of stories, some good, some bad. It's interesting to watch people of faith deal with death.

I'm reminded of Psalm 23 when they walk through the valley of the shadow of death. They do not fear. On the other side of the coin are those who have no faith. Their reactions are sad to watch.

They grieve like those with no hope. First Thessalonians 4:13 points to the contrast. Listen to the teaching. And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died.

That's the good news. We want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so that you will not grieve like people who have no hope. One March a few years back, I conducted the funeral of a young lady. She was 17 years old.

At her service, I recall her mother was inconsolable. They had no faith. It was sad to see. We spoke a few times after the service.

I tried to point her in the right direction, but she chose to camp out in the valley of death. She chose despair. She died 10 months after her daughter. She was 49 years old.

I learned later on that she drank herself to death and died of complications from that and a broken heart. Today's verse from Proverbs is so true. It's verse 22 of chapter 17. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.

Let me read it again. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. Another translation puts it this way. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.

First, let's talk about those with a broken spirit. The Bible says that it saps your strength or it dries up your bones. The American Medical Association tells us that your despair can lead to hormonal imbalances, chronic fatigue, weakened immune functions, insomnia, chronic pain, reduced cognitive performance, hypertension, cardiovascular risk, just to name a few. A broken spirit is a disaster waiting to happen.

How do we guard against that? We have to have faith. And if we're believers and we go through tough times, we have to grow in our faith. Our faith is our shield to the impact of tough times.

All of us have tough times. We'll all have them. We cannot avoid them. Life happens.

What is key is our reaction to the tough times. As Christ followers, we should respond to any difficult circumstance with hope. While it is true that a broken spirit invites bad health, the opposite is also true. A cheerful heart is good medicine.

Medical experts tell us that our immune system is boosted by positive attitudes. A cheerful heart is good medicine. How do we have a cheerful heart? A cheerful heart is more than emotion.

It's the result of a daily walk with God. Philippians chapter 4 is a great prescription for a better life. I begin with verse four. It says, "Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and by supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

If you do these things, the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things. I often read verse 8 from Philippians 4 at funerals. Let me read it again.

It's so vital to the way we think. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things. My first memorable experience was with death was the death of my mother. I was around 10.

I watched my father, a pastor, a widower with five children. I watched him lean on his faith to continue with his life. He loved God and he allowed God to walk with him in the hurt, in the toughest situation. I never saw him bitter.

I never saw him downcast. A cheerful heart is good medicine. May your heart always be cheerful. Pray with me.

Lord, those that watch this, listen to these words, many of them perhaps are going through difficult times right now. We ask that you would help our hearts to be cheerful. Not because of the circumstance, but in spite of the circumstance. In spite of the circumstance that our hearts would be cheerful because we know you and we're connected to you.

Father, be with those of downcast spirit. Help them to learn about you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

God bless. Thanks for joining me today.