I love hearing various home remedies for different issues that arise in life.
One summer I had a terrible cold and coughed my head off for days. Someone recommended that I sleep in socks with my feet slathered in Vicks VapoRub. The idea sounded ridiculous, but surprisingly it brought some relief.
I’ve also heard people recommend WD-40 for various ailments. I certainly don’t recommend trying that, but I was surprised at how often it was suggested!
When life is hard, we like remedies.
Life is hard physically. We get sick, injured, and worn down.
Life is hard mentally. There are real stresses, real fears, and real worries.
Life is hard spiritually as well, as our physical and mental struggles often affect how we view God and understand His work in our lives.
So when things get difficult, we naturally look for something that will bring relief.
Solomon offers an interesting remedy in Proverbs 17:22:
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)
The Hebrew word for cheerful is much deeper than simply putting on a smile. It describes a settled joy, an inner gladness, a confidence that God loves you and is working in your life.
That kind of deep confidence helps when your body is failing you, when your emotions are all over the place, and when you’re wondering what in the world God is doing through your present circumstances.
Now Solomon is not saying that joy cures every disease.
He is not saying that Christians are always healthy, stress-free, or immune from discouragement.
Rather, he is observing that anxiety, bitterness, despair, and hopelessness often make life’s difficulties even harder.
On the other hand, hope, gratitude, purpose, and healthy relationships bring strength and resilience whatever challenge you’re facing.
The second half of the verse is incredibly sad:
“But a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
This is not someone having a bad day.
This is someone whose inner life has collapsed.
The Hebrew picture is that discouragement and despair have become so dominant that they “dry up the bones.” Their grief affects every part of life.
The solution for that person is not simply:
“Cheer up.”
The solution is Jesus.
Isaiah 53:3 calls Him:
“A man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.”
Jesus understands suffering in a way none of us ever will.
Yet Hebrews 12:2 tells us:
“Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross.”
Jesus knew suffering deeply, but He was sustained by a deeper joy—the joy of obeying His Father and accomplishing our salvation.
That is where our cheerful heart comes from as well.
Our joy is not based on circumstances.
It is based on the reality that God is good, Jesus has come to save us, our sins are forgiven, and God remains faithful no matter what we face.
Even when our bodies are weak, our emotions are strained, and our circumstances are difficult, we can rest in the character of God.
That is the basis of a cheerful heart.
And that kind of heart is good medicine—not because life is easy, but because God is always faithful.