The Importance of Laughing and Crying for Mental & Spiritual Health

Mental and Spiritual Health

Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  He stated that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matt. 22:37-40).  It could be argued that all mental and spiritual health does also.  With an understanding that love is wholehearted devotion to what is in the best interest of others, could a more incisive description of mental and spiritual health be given? Anyone who truly and maturely loves God, others, and oneself cannot, by definition, be significantly compromised by mental or spiritual malady.  Therefore, anything we can do to improve our mental and spiritual health will also contribute to our ability to love, and as we learn to love better, we become mentally and spiritually healthier. In this light, consider the poetic proverb, “There is a time for everything. . . a time to weep and a time to laugh.” [Eccles. 3:1, 4]

Questions to Ask Yourself After a Difficult Session

Have you ever finished a counseling session beset with disappointment, confusion, or fatigue? Confused because the meeting seemed fruitless or counterproductive, disappointed because you were clueless about how to correct the situation or knew you had made mistakes, and fatigued because it seemed like you just emerged from a lost battle? Perhaps you were overwhelmed with the immensity of the issues presented or with the intensity of the interactions experienced or with the intractable personalities involved. In any case you were worn out, with little positive to show for your efforts.

How God Contributes to our Therapeutic Change

We’ve all heard the old counselor “light bulb” joke: Q: “How many therapists does it take to change a light bulb? A: Just one, but the light bulb really has to want to change.” But have you heard this one? Q: “How many Presbyterians does it take to change a light bulb? A: None. God either has or has not ordained the light bulb’s change.” I think the joke is funny even though it is a bit unfair to Presbyterians. It does, nevertheless, raise an interesting question about God’s role in people’s therapeutic change (in contrast to other changes, such as growing up, growing out, and growing old). Christian psychology cares about this question, as do dedicated Christian counselors. Here is one brief, introductory answer.