MIXED FEELINGS

Proverbs 14.13
MIXED FEELINGS
"Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief." (14.13)

LIFE IS A RHYTHM OF JOY AND SORROW, laughter and tears. Neither lasts indefinitely without the other. But laughter tends to be deceptive, more so than tears. We sometimes laugh outside when we are crying inside. The hysterics of laughter may hide the sounds of weeping.

For this reason, the wise are wary of merriment. Ecclesiastes declares, "Laughter is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" "Sorrow is better than laughter" (Eccl 2.2; 7.3). He is not decrying all amusement, but is referring to the vanity of empty mirth. A drunkard appears to be the happiest person on earth. He has not a care in the world. But he is not living in the real world. The moment he awakes, sorrow is at his bedside. His joy ends only in grief.

We need to beware lest our laughter is a drunkard's laughter. We plunge into pleasures to keep ourselves entertained and amused. We vegetate before the TV, carouse with friends, or indulge our appetites. But in so doing we move into a world of make-believe. Misery returns when that world ends.

A man once went to see a psychiatrist. He was extremely depressed. The doctor thought for a while for a solution. Then he said, "There is a circus in town. Why don't you amuse yourself? Go, watch it and laugh! I heard the clown is especially good." To this, the man replied, "l am the clown."

Though Proverbs warns us against laughter, it is not advocating a joyless existence. Elsewhere it tells us, "A cheerful heart is good medicine" (17.22). Our joy must be set in context. First, we need to accept that life is both joy and sorrow. Only in recognizing pain and sadness (both in ourselves and in others) are we able to appreciate joy more deeply.

Secondly, our joys must rest on what is lasting. Much of the world's happiness is either biological (bodily pleasure) or environmental (circumstantial). Neither is reliable. The joy of the believer rests on God who never changes. We take joy in knowing that our God cares for us intimately, and is in control of all the situations of life. For this, we worship and praise Him, and live out Paul's exhortation, "Be joyful always" (1 Thess 5.16).

The ultimate test of true joy lies at the end. In the end, all the sorrows of God's people will end in joy. All the joys of the wicked will end in sorrow. In heaven, when God wipes away all tears (Rev 21.4), there will finally be true joy and true laughter.

Am I laughing only on the outside?