"Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief." (Proverbs 14:13)
A while ago I saw a friend post on social media about how silly it is that they keep hanging on to so much sentimental stuff, even after making several moves in a short period of time. I am the same way. A lot of my stuff isn't anything I'd normally keep if it didn't have sentimental value. Just the other night I was thinking that if the house were on fire I'd probably try to grab my two shoeboxes of random memorabilia. They're full of the kind of souvenirs you don't buy: bottle caps, ski tags, drawings from children, a tiny plastic pickle making a silly face, notes of encouragement, and much more. These are the things we hold dear in our hearts, and I think it's because we know that we won't always be happy. We all have times when joy seems far away, and we keep these things to remind us that we were once happier. They act as a promise that things will turn back around.
The fact that we keep reminders of happiness shows that we know it may be temporary, and yet we tend to get angry at God when we find ourselves in the valleys of life. But just like those tokens of happiness that we keep, God's Word is a promise that things will turn back around. This verse reminds us that God never promised to make every earthly joy last. The only eternal joy is in heaven. Here below we have ups and downs. Sometimes they happen simultaneously, when our laughter covers an aching heart. Sometimes it seems that everything is right one minute, and the next minute everything is wrong. Keep the faith, and know that it will get better. A bonus verse, and one of my favorites: "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (Psalm 126:5-6) The toil is worth the reward.
Keep pushing forward my friends. We have a place in the courts of our King, where the laughter is pure and the joy is everlasting.
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