It has long been established that psychological factors can contribute to disease. Now more and more doctors are emphasizing that the reverse is also true: Positive attitudes, especially positive spiritual attitudes, can enhance health.

Our bodies are designed to respond vibrantly to positive thinking, and praising God for His goodness, even when things go wrong, is the ultimate form of positive thinking. When we do that, we initiate a chemical reaction in our brains that actually makes us feel better physically. But that’s just the beginning, because at the same time, in the spirit, we’re pleasing God by telling Him that we love Him and appreciate His blessings in spite of the negative, and that we have faith that He’ll work things out and continue to take care of us. King Solomon didn’t know the science behind the be-positive principle, but he understood the result. “A broken spirit dries the bones, but a merry heart does good, like medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). n