Look On The Sunny Side For Health

Look On The Sunny Side For Health

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health. Proverbs 15:30

Have you ever sat in a doctor’s office waiting for test results to come back? Did you dread getting bad news? Or were you optimistic that everything would be okay?

Every day, I see patients who fear the worst, but they are hoping and praying that I have good news for them. Most of the time I do. But on those occasions when a test comes back positive for cancer or an unwanted diagnosis is confirmed, I find that patients accept their condition better if I deliver the bad news with a dose of optimism.

Whether you’re ill or someone you know is sick, you can do the same thing—think positively. Looking at the glass as half-full rather than half-empty will invariably lead to a better outcome. Science backs this up. Studies have shown that patients who have a positive outlook on life, even if it is shortened by disease, will live longer and more comfortably than those who don’t.

When I walk the last mile with terminal cancer patients, I don’t avoid talking about cancer. But I try to help them embrace the journey, even if it’s a tough row to hoe.

TODAY’S RX

No matter how hard it might be, pray that the Lord will bring joy, cheer, and lightness to your burden.

Lord, fill me with your presence as I walk the road to recovery. Help me not to despair, but to keep a positive outlook on all I face, knowing that with you I have reason for hope.