Proverbs 15:3 says 'A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken'.
Proverbs 17:22 says 'A merry heart does good like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.'
"The disastrous drop in value of superannuation funds has impacted upon the life-style of many recently retired (or planned-to-be retired) people. The number of baby boomers who have spoken to me about their changed circumstances staggers the imagination." M V Tronson has noted.
"Moreover their countenances bear all the hallmarks of a broken spirit with dry bones," he added. "And I only know about the tip of the iceberg. We can all read about many more in a similar quandary, in our society at large."
There are several issues that M V Tronson raises which relate directly to this situation. His first point is that the current financial downturn carries with it an inherent positive, in that it reinforces the message that we can only appreciate the 'high' points if we have experienced the 'lows' – and invariably, when the financial cycle hits the bottom, it can only rise up again. Those who can change their situation to wait it out will find benefits again in the future.
He adds that those who rely on faith finance to fulfil their Christian mission also need to heed the advice of the Proverbs to keep a positive, optimistic outlook. The promise of God for provision to those who serve Him still stands, and it is a wonderful reflection on the Christian heart to observe that Christians will give of any little wealth they have to spare, even in an economic downturn.
The second point of reference is imaginative. M V Tronson considers what is not said in the Biblical record as to a merry heart and a positive agenda, where laughter and good humour might be read between the lines.
"The Book of Proverbs makes a point of the value of a merry heart, therefore a priory to this disposition would have been the norm in Biblical times as it is now," M V Tronson mused.
For example, he cites Enoch's walks with God would have inevitably included laughter. Noah too was not without humour, as no doubt he heard the most clever sledging as he worked away at the ark decade after decade.
Abraham too must have had a chuckled to himself when his cousin Lot chose the greenest of lands when given a choice, as Abraham knew the promises God had given him.
And Moses too, M V Tronson suggests, that as the Red Sea separated, he would have been beside myself in delight that God had chosen to work through him, 'a stutterer' in such an astonishing way. Mark Tronson is sure of this one, as he himself stutters.
He imagines how Gideon would have been bemused of God's majesty that with his meagre 300 men, as God saw to it that the thousands of his enemy slaughtered each other in mayhem.
And what about Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego he says, when nothing happened to them when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. This was indeed 'the laughter of joy' material.
Jesus had plenty of occasions to laugh too he claims, for example, he knew where the fish were and told Peter so. Paul too, an example was his decision to make Troas his missions central travel port as Troas was the Gold Coast of the ancient world and had the great 'circus'. I think Paul would have enjoyed the acrobats!
"Christian ministry abounds with laughter, as people with eccentricities like me are in the church, we are all His children, and humour is part of the human condition," M V Tronson smiled.
He makes the point that even in the darkest of times, humour can lift the spirit, it is indeed like a good medicine. Further, M V Tronson points out, humour touches the soul and can even save a life at a critical time.