Show homemakers PAGE by alarie al ogden As a second bit of good counsel for the new year ws we offer a splendid article from the november issue of aquarian age magazine by louise B brownell gi GUT git T THE LAUGHING if you are one of those who believe in the bible then you must surely know god wants all his children to be happy prove this to yourself by getting a good bible concordance the most comprehensive pr is strongs which lists every word in the bible except the articles a and the and gives the original hebrew and greek words and meanings and you will be surprised to see the number of times we are admonished to rejoice and be glad we we are even told a merry heart boeth good like a medicine on special occasions such as a day on which an armistice is signed or on new years or christmas or birthday celebrations we seem to reme remember aber that joy is good for the soul and body but on other occasions we settle back and even forget to amle at the great good life has to offer to us in the bible we find many references to joy and laughter even on the most solemn occasions of religious observance many centuries ago david laughing dancing sporting led the procession which carried the ark to the temple and to the holy of holies it was an occasion of great rejoicing jo icing dancing sing ng ngi praising in which many musical instruments st were used laughter joy and happiness are contagious which of your friends do you en joy most those who are gloomy and depressed and keep their troubles and sorrows uppermost to bu burden aden you with when they meet you or those who are happy and cheerful who look on the bright side of existence or have a fund of humor to keep you laughing when you are in their company the homes where joy prevails where laughter and merriment are frequently heard are certainly the most popular and their inmates seldom lack for friends and for the many good times which come through such joy and reciprocity the cynic voltaire said the art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the d sease laughter is one of the best healing agencies brown landone says 1 I prescribe laughter to you as a divine cure if you have a toothache or headache a worried heart or a lame back make a list of all your ills and then sit them read the list again and again look sadder and sadder whine a little and moan and then begin to giggle to think that you a son or daughter of god are letting yourself have such ills giggle a little more and then laugh out loud and the pains and aches will begin to vanish and indeed the ills themselves will gradually gra dally begin to fade away FOR EVERY ERROR ON THIS EARTH will run if you laugh at it laughter is divine for god himself hath said he that sit teth in the heavens shall laugh walter lanyon wrote a book called the laughter of god which suggests that god must be greatly amused at us human beings he has created in his own ow n image and likeness to be able to laugh in the tace lace of sickness and trouble unpaid bills and frustrations of various kinds is to become more like god who is not af afra raid d rf cf anything and so powerful that nothing troubles him when you can laugh in i n the face of any obstacle you immedi abely feel more power to overcome it above all if you want to win others to a belief and knowledge of the efficacy of truth learn to laugh if you can laugh and be happy in all circumstances you wont have to beg people to take up your religion one of the greatest evangelists this country has known won a great success because his face always shone with a great joy and he made people want the kind of heaven which he talked about he kept that attitude of joy always bubbling up from within him by laughing on all provola ions before every sermon he spent fifteen minutes in his hotel room not in prayer or the silence but in laughter ha ha ing so loud that sometimes sometime sN people in adjoining wondered if someone in there were not hysterical no doubt at times he had to make himself laugh but he found it paid in personal success as well as in in winning souls to the kingdom of cf god cultivate the habit of laughter on every occasion for the coming month and you will find it so helpful and rejuvenating you will want to continue the habit speaking of laughter and the laughing habit calls to mind something we read on the subject of happiness by dr F homer curtiss which follows happiness is not a passive reaction as is pleasure but is a dynamic spiritual force ever seeking manifestation in all worlds every thrill of happiness is an expression of and a radiation dation ra from the spiritual self within it is soul force seeking every avenue of manifestation every tiniest crack to express through you so do not impede it by lack of understanding der standing or indifference for back of all your seeking for joy and happiness is the steady pressure of divine harmony striving to find an outlet through you you should therefore carefully remove all barriers release all tensions that obstruct its flow and let its flowing forth wash away all your sorrow and discouragement and make you happy for you now see the truth of what we said above namely that happiness is not a passing emotion emot iod but an inner radiance which automatically shines forth when it is not veiled or hidden by ignorance selfishness and the refusal of the personality to respond to and express it |