Are You Happy?
He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. – Proverbs 16:20.
There has been a 16-year study of 10,000 people that is interesting which shows that a good way, maybe the best way to keep our memory in good shape is simply to be happy. In this study of people over 60 years of age those with good psychological wellbeing were able to score higher on memory tests. The study showed that feeling good about life gave those people a protective shield for their brains. It has already been known that depression and anxiety can be damaging to our memory.
Why feeling good about life may result in a better memory may be as a result of just taking better care of yourself physically. Taking better care of yourself likely will bring about better cardiovascular health, because of more physical activity. Social connections were also shown to help along with better sleep patterns in maintaining good memories and happiness. (From the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing as reported in Study Finds 06.20.25)
Proverbs 16:20 reveals taking care of ourselves spiritually can improve our mood levels from being anxious or from being depressed to being “happy.” The Proverb says we are to “trust” in the Lord. In order to truly trust in the Lord, we must believe upon the one path (John 14:6) that provides eternal life. As John 3:16 states we must believe upon Jesus Christ as our Savior. Believing upon Jesus is the beginning point of the “trust” that we need to be “happy” or you could say to have a blessed life.
Trusting in the Lord for your future and as you walk through each day in faithfulness to Him relieves anxiety and depression. As we are told in Philippians 4:6-7 we should “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” When we are anxious or depressed if we will go to God in the Name of Jesus seeking to have His help, His wisdom, His strength and cast all of worries upon God as we are told in 1 Peter 5:7 as we pause before Him, we will find that peace which passeth, surpasses, and transcends all understanding.
The writer of Proverbs 16:20 also encourages us to “heed the word.” Jesus in defeating the temptations of the devil says in Matthew 4:4 that “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” The Word of God contained in the Bible gives us the faith that we need to live through the challenges of life, and we are told Romans 10:17 that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you spend some time every day reading and contemplating the Word of God in the Bible, you will find that you will have more peace and more life.
And that is how you can shield your brain from the onslaught of the world’s messages and find blessings and happiness.