Jump Start # 3952
Ecclesiastes 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy.”
Somedays certain verses of God’s word seem to be just for you. Today, I’m feeling a bit sad. I keep pushing the tears back as I try to get things done. There’s no big reason I feel this way. The sun is shinning, no one that I am close to has died. I feel fine physically. There are a few things here and there that I could point to, but nothing major. There is just an emotion of sadness today.
The ending of our verse seems odd. A sad face and a happy heart is not what we’d put together. We’d conclude that a face is sad because the heart is sad. But, not here in this passage. And, we can understand the opposite of this expression. A happy face hides a sad heart. We are pretty good at that. We push ourselves onward when we don’t feel like it. We put on a smile when our hearts are crying. Hiding behind masks is an art for many folks. One never knows what is going on the inside. The face is smiling but is it a cover for something sad on the inside.
Here are some thoughts about this:
First, it’s ok to be sad now and then. It’s not a roller coaster unless the ride drops now and then. One shouldn’t dwell in sadness. Some do. Sadness can invite discouragement and depression to come over. There are so many things that can make one sad. I guess if a person is never serious, soberminded or bothered by how things are, we’d wonder if he is paying attention to life. Life has it’s ups and downs. Disappointments happen. Pets die. People don’t keep their promises. Life changes and sometimes it’s not the for better. There’s plenty of reason for a person to be sad.
Second, don’t let your sadness defeat you. When that roller coaster drops, it eventually rides back up to new heights. How we wish the world was different. How we wish we could get our way. We’d sure make things better. You can’t change people. You can only change yourself. Through those valleys of death, the Lord was with the Psalmist. The discouraged and depressed Paul was comforted by the coming of Titus. God was helping. Your sadness can lead to changes in your heart that will make you a better person. Your sadness can help you bring positive changes.
Third, sadness is not a reflection of faith. Our Lord dealt with sadness. He cried at the grave of Lazarus. Hebrews says He offered up prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death (5:7). No one would question the faith of Jesus. Sometimes a good cry is what a person really needs. We live in a culture that doesn’t handle sadness very well. Take a pill, be happy, and don’t think about things is the solution of many. But, in many ways that is living in denial.
Our verse reminds us that deep within us there are truths, promises and a trust in the Lord that carries us through the fog of sadness. This is why the face may be sad but the heart is happy. The moment may not be good. The situation may not be the best. However, we know what God has promised. We know that the Lord is good. We know that we do not stand alone. God is with us.
This verse is the feeling we have at the death of a Christian. Outwardly, we are sad. We are going to miss that person. We are sad for their family. Yet, we know a disciple has gone to the Lord that he loves. We know that he would not want to come back if he could. We know the joys of Heaven are so wonderful that he will be well. In many ways, his suffering has ended and ours has just begun. We’ve switched places emotionally. Sad but glad. Tears and smiles. That roller coaster of life takes us up and down and all around. But, as it finally stops in Heaven, all will be fine.
Writing this has helped. My spirits are lifted. Turning to the Lord can put that smile back on your heart.
Roger