A Cheerful Heart. Proverbs 17:22

Frank Wible
Jul 6
2 min read

David never considered himself a joyful man. Quiet and analytical, he spent most days managing IT systems in a windowless office, eating lunch alone while reviewing server reports. But he liked life that way—predictable, controlled, safe.

Frank Wible - Man in a blue shirt working intently at dual monitors with graphs, in an office setting. A sandwich and drink are on the desk. — *David thought control kept him safe—until life proved otherwise.*

Then came the diagnosis. Stage two colon cancer. Surgery, chemo, and weeks away from work stripped his sense of control. At first, he tried to stay strong, posting brave quotes on Facebook. But behind the screen, he felt himself fading. His hair fell out, his skin turned pale, and laughter disappeared from his home.

One morning, after a rough chemo treatment, he sat slumped in the hospital recliner, staring blankly at the linoleum floor. His nurse, a young woman with curly hair and kind eyes, walked in whistling softly. She greeted him with a grin, “Morning, David! What’s the IT guy reading today?”

He tried to force a smile. “Nothing worth reading,” he muttered. She chuckled, tapping his IV stand playfully. “Well, I’m reading Proverbs this week. Did you know it says, ‘A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones’?” She winked. “Don’t let those bones dry up, okay?”

For the first time in weeks, David laughed—a small, scratchy sound, but real. That day, he downloaded Proverbs onto his phone. Between treatments, he read verses about joy, hope, and God’s faithfulness. Slowly, smiles returned. Nurses noticed. Other patients noticed. His body was fighting cancer, but his spirit was coming back to life.

Frank Wible - A nurse in blue scrubs smiles while holding a document, comforting a patient in a hospital bed with a cheerful mood in a medical setting. — *Joy isn’t ignoring pain. It’s finding hope despite it.*

At his final chemo appointment, the same nurse came in singing softly. David smiled wide. “You know,” he said, “I think your cheerful heart helped heal mine.” She teared up, squeezed his hand, and whispered, “God’s joy is contagious.”

Today, David volunteers as an IT instructor for cancer survivors learning new job skills. His students often ask why he seems so upbeat. He just smiles and says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine—and trust me, it works.”