Gentlemen, why don't you laugh? If I did not laugh I should die, and you need this medicine as much as I do. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Humor is perhaps life's best medicine. It has the power to heal, reduce anxieties, and even add years to one's life. Perhaps contrary to popular perception, Abraham Lincoln was a man who valued humor. According to historian Keith Jennison, the President held fast to his sense of humor even during one of those most difficult eras of American history. So valuable was laughter to Lincoln that one day he decided to open his cabinet meeting by reading excerpts from a book of humor. Perhaps others saw it as inappropriate or untimely. For not one person in the room -- save Lincoln -- laughed.

I love a good joke. Laughter is often my perfect antidote to a bad day. It was my father who taught me the value of maintaining a good sense of humor through all the vicissitudes of life. While we never explicitly discussed this subject, I observed it in my father's smiles and frequent deep, hearty laughs. While some may judge his response as inappropriate, my dad grieved the loss of his own father with both sadness and laughter. As one who often enjoyed his own jokes and laughter, my grandfather had left behind a legacy of joy. Despite losing him, my own dad could not help but remember him fondly, as one who loved life and the comedy of it.

In his book, The Healing Power of Humor, author and "jollytologist" Allen Klein writes the following:

Even in the most horrendous of circumstances, humor can impart power and help take the focus off our burdens. In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl speaks of using humor to survive his imprisonment during World War II. He and another friend would invent at least one amusing story daily to help them cope with their horrors. Frankl tells of the time a prisoner gestured to one of the capos (favored prisoners who acted as guards and became as arrogant as the SS men) and said, "Imagine! I knew him when he was only the President of the bank!"

Perhaps Allen Klein is right. Humor certainly isn't the answer for every situation. However, spotting humor in our circumstances can and often does help us to view the ups and downs of life from a new perspective.

As Proverbs 17:22 reminds us, "A cheerful heart is good medicine but a downcast spirit dries up the bones."