Proverbs 14:13 "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness."
The Bible can be called many things but one thing it can't be called is a compilation of inspirational and motivational sayings. There are plenty of those types of books out there that are composed entirely of positive and encouraging sayings meant to get people to see the positive side of life so as to keep going. The Bible is designed to keep us going in life but not in ignorance for ignorance sets people up for serious failure. Positivity at any cost leads to ignorance in costly ways. People who can't hear or face hard realities will eventually experience hard falls. If a person can't face a doctor for fear of hearing the hard truth about their health, they'll never get the medical help they need. If a spouse can't sit down and talk about their marriage for fear of hearing the hard truth about their relationship, they'll never get the marital help they need. If a soul can't listen to Scripture's warning about sin and hell for fear of having to process that terrifying possibility, they'll never find salvation through Jesus Christ. Choosing to be ignorant about the difficult realties of humanity, spirituality and eternity is a devastating choice. The Bible was designed to both inspire mankind with marvelous truths while also equipping mankind with hard truths. The pages of Scripture are full of elephants in the room that we naturally don't want to discuss. This proverb is one such elephant. This proverb isn't the type of inspirational quote a person puts on their refrigerator but it is one that God wants us to put in our hearts. This proverb isn't made for bumper stickers or for bookmarks but it is made for success.
Sorrow is stubborn. It comes to our hearts quickly and easily. It comes often and stays forever. Anyone who tries to ignore it, avoid it or deny it is playing a foolish game. Sorrow is an unavoidable staple in our world. When Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, they were sent away with the burden of sorrow. Mankind's punishment for sin would be sorrow but specifically, sorrow in those things we were designed to do and enjoy doing. When God cursed the woman in Genesis 3, He said, "I will greatly multiply thy SORROW and thy conception; in SORROW thou shalt bring forth children." In the same breath, He cursed man and said, "cursed is the ground for thy sake; in SORROW shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." Women were physically and relationally designed for people while men were physically and mentally designed for progress. Generally-speaking, women find their greatest joy in relationships while men find their greatest joy in accomplishments. Sin infused that which fulfills us with sorrow. From birth to death, humanity is seemingly submerged in sorrow. Children come out of the womb crying and adults usually go into the tomb crying. Sorrow welcomes us into the world, accompanies us through the world and then escorts us into the next world. Sorrow finds a home in the human heart and stubbornly refuses to leave.
It's easy to be sad. There are no shortages of reasons to be sorrowful. Friends abandon and betray us. Parents, mentors and teachers fail us. Spouses disappoint us. Children and students forget us. Loved ones are taken from us. Health and wealth avoid us. Neighbors hate us. Prospective romance rejects us. Peers criticize us. Success evades us. Perhaps worst of all, personal failure devastates us. In addition to very personal problems, the world around us saddens us with ease. Wars destroy families and communities. Cancer torments young and old. Natural disasters consistently ruin lives. Children are kidnapped. Women are enslaved. Addicts are hopeless. Wives are beat. Children are abused. Men are murdered. Homeless are desperate. Animals are mistreated. Sorrow is unavoidable for the human heart, especially if you consume a daily dose of local, national or global news. Sorrow is a part of life; a stubborn part of life.
Solomon wasn’t a Debbie Downer but he didn't stick his head in the sand or in the clouds. He was wise and wise men understand that success begins with a keen awareness of reality. The wise don't fear the facts. The wise want to know who they really are, why they are the way they are and what life really is. Sorrow consumes people and often ruins people simply because they refuse to live with it. Because sorrow is uncomfortable and a reminder of the disappointments in life, people want it gone. People will get intoxicated or medicated to mask it. People will lash out at God and man in order to combat it. We will read books, attend classes and even pursue relationships to get rid of it. Watching a funny skit, rehearsing comical memories or spending time with friends are all appropriate ways to cope with sorrow but none of those things will remove sorrow from the heart. It's stubborn. Reading your Bible, giving thanks and making melody in your heart to the Lord are especially good ways to cope with sorrow but even those things won't extract sorrow out of your heart. It's stubborn. Laughter can't reach deep enough to remove sorrow from our hearts. Mirth isn't strong enough to pull sorrow out of our hearts. No matter how hard we laugh or how loud we sing, sorrow will remain. When the party is over, sorrow will awake and remind us of what or who we still don't have. When the feasting is over, sorrow will tap us on the shoulder and point out the things we shouldn't have done or said. When the fellowship is over, sorrow will rehearse all of things we wish we were or weren't. When the vacation is over, sorrow will point out the descending sand and that our time is running out. When the good days are over, sorrow will find fuel in the tragedies taking place all around us in this cursed world.
Solomon, in his God-given wisdom isn't in any way attempting to cause sorrow with this proverb; he is simply but profoundly attempting to prepare us to live with sorrow. If we know that sorrow is stubborn, we won't be so bothered by it. If we know that laughter is no match for sorrow, we won't be so disappointed when it remains in our hearts at the end of the night. If we know that our hearts will always possess a level of heaviness, we'll not be frustrated by sorrow. Sorrow only ruins those who can't accept it. It only consumes those who can't live with it. Wise men and women aren't surprised by the stubbornness of sorrow and therefore, aren't frustrated with it. For the wise, the stubbornness of sorrow is the healthy incentive to continually come before the God of all comfort. The stubbornness of sorrow is designed to consistently draw men to God. Furthermore, the stubbornness of sorrow is designed to motivate men to set their affections above and lay hold on eternal life as there is coming a glorious day when there will be no more sorrow (Revelations 21:4).
If you really want to get through life victoriously and joyfully, know what you're up against and learn to live with sorrow. Other books will try to paint life with a rainbow of colors and put a positive spin on every dark reality but the Bible tells it how it is so we know exactly what to expect. Armed with Biblical and unapologetic truth, we can better face tomorrow's sorrow knowing it's something we have to live with rather than something we have to fight to eradicate. Discontentment and ingratitude stem from thinking sorrow can be removed from our hearts. God never promised to remove it in this life but He did promise to comfort, or cover it with His grace, love and presence.
Sorrow is stubborn. It comes to our hearts quickly and easily. It comes often and stays forever. Anyone who tries to ignore it, avoid it or deny it is playing a foolish game. Sorrow is an unavoidable staple in our world. When Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, they were sent away with the burden of sorrow. Mankind's punishment for sin would be sorrow but specifically, sorrow in those things we were designed to do and enjoy doing. When God cursed the woman in Genesis 3, He said, "I will greatly multiply thy SORROW and thy conception; in SORROW thou shalt bring forth children." In the same breath, He cursed man and said, "cursed is the ground for thy sake; in SORROW shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." Women were physically and relationally designed for people while men were physically and mentally designed for progress. Generally-speaking, women find their greatest joy in relationships while men find their greatest joy in accomplishments. Sin infused that which fulfills us with sorrow. From birth to death, humanity is seemingly submerged in sorrow. Children come out of the womb crying and adults usually go into the tomb crying. Sorrow welcomes us into the world, accompanies us through the world and then escorts us into the next world. Sorrow finds a home in the human heart and stubbornly refuses to leave.
It's easy to be sad. There are no shortages of reasons to be sorrowful. Friends abandon and betray us. Parents, mentors and teachers fail us. Spouses disappoint us. Children and students forget us. Loved ones are taken from us. Health and wealth avoid us. Neighbors hate us. Prospective romance rejects us. Peers criticize us. Success evades us. Perhaps worst of all, personal failure devastates us. In addition to very personal problems, the world around us saddens us with ease. Wars destroy families and communities. Cancer torments young and old. Natural disasters consistently ruin lives. Children are kidnapped. Women are enslaved. Addicts are hopeless. Wives are beat. Children are abused. Men are murdered. Homeless are desperate. Animals are mistreated. Sorrow is unavoidable for the human heart, especially if you consume a daily dose of local, national or global news. Sorrow is a part of life; a stubborn part of life.
Solomon wasn’t a Debbie Downer but he didn't stick his head in the sand or in the clouds. He was wise and wise men understand that success begins with a keen awareness of reality. The wise don't fear the facts. The wise want to know who they really are, why they are the way they are and what life really is. Sorrow consumes people and often ruins people simply because they refuse to live with it. Because sorrow is uncomfortable and a reminder of the disappointments in life, people want it gone. People will get intoxicated or medicated to mask it. People will lash out at God and man in order to combat it. We will read books, attend classes and even pursue relationships to get rid of it. Watching a funny skit, rehearsing comical memories or spending time with friends are all appropriate ways to cope with sorrow but none of those things will remove sorrow from the heart. It's stubborn. Reading your Bible, giving thanks and making melody in your heart to the Lord are especially good ways to cope with sorrow but even those things won't extract sorrow out of your heart. It's stubborn. Laughter can't reach deep enough to remove sorrow from our hearts. Mirth isn't strong enough to pull sorrow out of our hearts. No matter how hard we laugh or how loud we sing, sorrow will remain. When the party is over, sorrow will awake and remind us of what or who we still don't have. When the feasting is over, sorrow will tap us on the shoulder and point out the things we shouldn't have done or said. When the fellowship is over, sorrow will rehearse all of things we wish we were or weren't. When the vacation is over, sorrow will point out the descending sand and that our time is running out. When the good days are over, sorrow will find fuel in the tragedies taking place all around us in this cursed world.
Solomon, in his God-given wisdom isn't in any way attempting to cause sorrow with this proverb; he is simply but profoundly attempting to prepare us to live with sorrow. If we know that sorrow is stubborn, we won't be so bothered by it. If we know that laughter is no match for sorrow, we won't be so disappointed when it remains in our hearts at the end of the night. If we know that our hearts will always possess a level of heaviness, we'll not be frustrated by sorrow. Sorrow only ruins those who can't accept it. It only consumes those who can't live with it. Wise men and women aren't surprised by the stubbornness of sorrow and therefore, aren't frustrated with it. For the wise, the stubbornness of sorrow is the healthy incentive to continually come before the God of all comfort. The stubbornness of sorrow is designed to consistently draw men to God. Furthermore, the stubbornness of sorrow is designed to motivate men to set their affections above and lay hold on eternal life as there is coming a glorious day when there will be no more sorrow (Revelations 21:4).
If you really want to get through life victoriously and joyfully, know what you're up against and learn to live with sorrow. Other books will try to paint life with a rainbow of colors and put a positive spin on every dark reality but the Bible tells it how it is so we know exactly what to expect. Armed with Biblical and unapologetic truth, we can better face tomorrow's sorrow knowing it's something we have to live with rather than something we have to fight to eradicate. Discontentment and ingratitude stem from thinking sorrow can be removed from our hearts. God never promised to remove it in this life but He did promise to comfort, or cover it with His grace, love and presence.
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