Sadness, Joy & Giving Thanks
In an episode of the televisions series, “Seinfeld”, the main character Jerry begins to cry. Instead of staying in that moment, he quickly makes a joke.
Have you ever done that? Were the feelings you were experiencing too hard to handle? Was it ever communicated to you that as a believer you should not be sad or if you are sad that it should only be momentary and in the privacy of your own home? Displaying this emotion, around those that do not believe or even inside the walls of the church, could very well reflect a flaw in your trusting of God. If we have heard and bought into that distorted message, we have learned to move quickly away from that emotion and shift to the happy face that’s says I am o.k.
At the time of this writing I just spoke with a man who a few months ago was involved in a horrific accident. After talking with him I thought, I have no reason to be sad. My first inclination was to put on my happy face, dismiss my very own emotions, and continue to live in the illusion that I somehow cannot go there.
Evil acts perpetrated on others leave scars of sadness; unhappiness stems from the loss of loved ones, various experiences, and depression. Disappointments in life make us sad.
It is seen in the golden years, where one’s dream of traveling and relaxing has turned into physical ailments, unexpected falls and doctor appointments. It is found in one’s heart where plans and dreams one thought would be, have not lined up with the circumstances that are reality.
It is experienced in everyday life. It is described in Scripture. The prophet Jeremiah was lonely, insecure and sad as his message of turning from one’s sin in Judah was rejected for forty years. The prophet Elijah saw firsthand God’s victory over the false prophets of Baal. Still he ran for his life after being threatened. Elijah was discouraged, weary, and depressed. One author suggests that Elijah came to the point where he just had enough. Jesus, in the death of his friend Lazarus, wept. There are times where I have wanted to spiritualize Jesus’ tears away, but the reality is Jesus was overwhelmed by grief. Jesus was sad. Jesus cried. Jesus felt despair.
I want God to take away my sadness instantaneously, don’t you? I want the fallen world filled with depravity including my own to disappear. Our desperateness to push aside sadness can lead to the smorgasbord of god substitutes readily available to us.
It is in the journey of sadness where we find God. It is in His presence in our lives where we will find joy, even in our unhappy situations (Psalm 30:5). It is in Christ where the only alternative is no alternative but the living God in whom we depend on to get us through. In this, I am very THANKFUL.
Blessings,
Pastor Rich Edwards
“I can never escape from your spirit. I can never get away from your presence!” (Psalm 139: 7)