Proverbs 15:13

Proverbs 15:13 "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."

I, for one, am glad that the wisest man in history didn't waste our time with blatantly obvious truths that toddlers likely know.  Even a child knows that a smiley face reveals a happy heart.  Even a toddler knows that tears reveal sorrow, which is why he asks his crying mother, "why are you sad mommy?"  Surely, Solomon is not simply telling us that cheer in the heart makes a person look happy while sorrow in the heart makes a person look empty.  Fortunately, for us, there is much more to this proverb and much more than a toddler can handle since Solomon is primarily writing to his young adult son and a mature audience.

As is often the case, Solomon is not contrasting two very different things with the same consequence.  He is contrasting the countenance of the cheerful with the bones of the sorrowful.  He is showing us what we can see in the person with a merry heart while exposing what we can't see in the person with a sorrowful heart.  While both happiness and sorrow have a profound impact on us, the one sorrow has on us is far more substantial.  A broken spirit is far more influential to a person's life than a cheerful countenance.  Both matter but a broken spirit is far more serious.  A cheerful countenance is especially good for one's reputation, communication and influence.  After all, who wants to talk to someone who looks miserable?  Who wants to hear about Jesus Christ from someone who looks miserable?  Who wants to share their feelings or recap their day with someone who looks wildly unhappy?  Who wants to take a picture with someone who looks bitterly cold?  Who wants the input of a person whose countenance looks dark and gloomy?

 A cheerful countenance adds great value to a life for a variety of reasons.  That being said, the value of a cheerful countenance does not outweigh the danger of a broken spirit.  A broken spirit bleeds life out of a person.  A broken spirit is as dangerous to a soul as is a collapsed lung to a body or a cracked engine block to a vehicle.  It is unsustainable.  Over time, it will lead to colossal emotional, spiritual, psychological and even physical failure.  A broken spirit is so much more than a frowning mouth and tearful eyes.  It is so much deeper than that.  Without a stable and secure spirit, the challenges of life are impossible to sustain.  Proverbs 18:14, "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?"  Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."  The spirit of man is the life of a person.  Our spirit is where our will comes from and if our spirit breaks, we lose the will to live or fight.  That makes the consequences of sorrow in our hearts more serious than merriness in our hearts.

It is important to acknowledge the particular wording of this proverb when it comes to sorrow.  It reads, "by sorrow of the heart," which is different than the wording used to describe a "merry heart."  A heart is not naturally happy - it needs something for which to find happiness in.  On the contrary, the human heart is naturally sorrowful.  Living in a cursed world comes with sorrow already embedded in the heart.  This is why Solomon wrote in Proverbs 14:13, "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness."  Sorrow isn't evil or bad.  It is, however, unavoidable and inevitable.  In a world of loss and in a life of sin, it's inescapable.  The problem is not the presence of sorrow - it's the surrender to it.  We can never rid our hearts of sorrow, but we can manage the sorrow in our hearts.  We have to keep a steady dose of happiness and hope within our hearts OR "by sorrow of the heart," the spirit will be broken.  Again, sorrow is not to be viewed as evil, but it is to be viewed as heavy.  It can only be carried so far for so long before it breaks the human spirit.  It can only be entertained without the presence of joy and hope for so long before it breaks the human spirit.  This is why Paul didn't discourage the Thessalonians from sorrowing but instead, he directed them to sorrow WITH HOPE.  1 Thessalonians 4:13, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope."

This proverb is not for the Sunday School class of 1st Graders; it is for the mature who are conscious of the "sorrow of the heart."  It is for the man or woman who doesn't see the need to be comforted by God and by others.  It is for those who have faced great loss and like Jacob when he was told Joseph died, "refuse to be comforted" (Gen. 37:35).  It is for those who don't see the need to welcome joy, peace or hope into the heart.  It is for the person who has decided to let sorrow take them to the grave.  This proverb is for the soul who has decided to let sorrow rule their life and relationships.  Don't let the deceit in your heart (Jer. 17:9) trick you into thinking you can sustain sorrow forever.  At some point, your spirit will crack beneath the heavy weight of sustained sorrow.  Sorrow without hope, peace or joy breaks every man and woman at some point.  It's not a matter of "IF," it's a matter of "WHEN."  And "WHEN" it breaks, the spirit will not be able to handle any adversity, infirmity of tragedy.

Welcome merriness into your heart and onto your face.  Without it, the ever-present sorrow of the heart will eventually do irreparable damage to the spirit.