On Sorrow and Joy

Do you know sorrow?  Has her shadow hovered over you in the night while you lay sleepless, your eyes stinging with tears?  Have you fought her until every last ounce of your strength is gone and then felt her envelope you, your heart pounding inside your chest?   She can be ruthless, entering your life in an instant, swallowing up your laughter and leaving tears in her wake.  Or she can inch her way in, little by little, gaining strength with each new heartache, until she has touched every crevice of your being with her poison.  Sorrow, though not a welcomed guest, is a stranger to few.


When sorrow rears her ugly head in our lives it can be difficult to see past her darkness.  There are times when it feels like we will never be able to escape her grasp.  She does everything she can to alienate us from those who desire to pry her hands off of us and breath life-giving truth into the void she leaves behind.  We will all dance with sorrow at some point in our life, some more than others.  She has spread her seed far and wide on this earth.  But there is more to the story.  God promises us sorrow will not prevail in the end.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.  You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy"

John 16:20 (ESV)

Sorrow plows the fields of our hearts leaving gaping wounds that feel as though they can never be mended.  It is in these wounds that seeds of joy, watered with our tears, spring forth.  Our Heavenly Father loves us in such a way that He allows this process to occur many times in our lives.  He understands that a heart untouched by sorrow doesn't have the same capacity for joy as a heart that has weathered her storm.  We were created to know a joy so great our imaginations can't begin to paint the picture.  Our joy, our true joy is planted by Our Father and nurtured through our relationship with His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  While we are afforded the grace of experiencing joy in this life, the joy we experience here is dwarfed by the joy we have to look forward to.  So hold fast, dear friends, to the joy that comes from walking with Jesus; cling to it when sorrow falls upon you and remember there will soon be a day where we will experience a fullness of joy unlike anything we can imagine and sorrow will be no more.

" 'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'  And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'  Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' " 

Revelation 21:4-5 (ESV)