Proverbs 14:13. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.
A couple days ago we talked about how we can’t really know everything that is going on inside of another person. You are the only one who really knows what is in your heart, no one else does. Solomon is returning to a similar idea here in Proverbs 14:13.
Often when people laugh they are just covering up heartache, and grief may be deep inside of a person even though they seem joyful. And of course this is as it should be. We are supposed to experience both joy and grief simultaneously. Yet it can be very difficult for us to experience the comingling of joy and sorrow. What is meant to be quite normal for the human experience, often doesn’t feel normal at all. We see joy and sorrow as such extremes that are impossible to experience at the same time. Nor should we, we think. Isn’t the goal of life to replace grief with joy? Heartache with laughter?
But the truth is, especially for the Christian, that life is the constant mingling of both joy and sorrow. The Apostle Paul described his life with these words:
2 Corinthians 6:10. sorrowing yet always rejoicing…
And didn’t our Savior go the cross with the heart mixture of terrible grief and exuberant joy at the same time?
The Christian will never be fully joyful this side of Heaven, knowing that they are not yet bodily in the presence of our Lord. Nor should the Christian be stuck in despair, knowing that in Christ they have the joyful fruit of the Spirit, the presence of God in their hearts, and the hope of eternal life with him.
All the temporary joys of this life eventually run out, ending in grief. The last Christmas present is opened. The last game of the season is played. The goodbye of the relationship is spoken. And in that moment the joy turns to grief. How many of life’s moments are bittersweet?
But there is a day coming for all who are in Christ, a day when all grief will be replaced with joy, all heartache with laughter. A day when every tear will be wiped away and we will enter into the joy of our Lord, where pleasures forever more await (Ps. 16:11).
Until that day let us allow ourselves and others to live faithfully within both joy and grief. Never discounting a person’s heartache, and never assuming their joy. Allowing our brothers and sisters in Christ to find the joy of the Lord even in their sorrow, and the Man of Sorrows even in their joy.
You: Can you see yourself as living in both joy and grief at the same time?
You in Christ: How does knowing our future hope in Christ allow us to live faithfully in both joy and grief?
Christ in you: How can you relate to Jesus today whether in laughter or heartache? How can he relate to you?
Pray: Father, help me to live honestly with you in both my grief and my joy. And help me to love others enough to know what is going on inside of them so that I can encourage them too. Amen.
To Live is Christ 