When was the last time you felt like rejoicing? Chances are it was after—or maybe even during—a difficult time. Usually the deepest feelings of joy are the blessed reward for having endured pain, sorrow, or heartache.
But how do we get from the sorrow to the joy? While some feelings of sadness may require long-term treatment, most often gloominess is temporary. Like a cloud of high pressure, it hovers for awhile, and then it blows away. The part we play in its passing is different for every circumstance. Sometimes we feel better if we cry, and other times we may need to talk or walk or both. Often it helps if we can write down our feelings. And sometimes laughter is the best medicine. In certain situations, it just takes time—time for healing, maybe even time for repenting or repairing a wrong. In every case, we usually feel better when we stop thinking so much about ourselves.
No matter the circumstance, we can find our way back to joy, even rejoicing. Recently, a man whose wife was dying of cancer opened his heart to small moments of joy: the touch of his wife’s hand, the faith of his little boy’s prayer, the tender regard of friends. Even during hard times, we can experience joy. Like the Israelites of old, we need not wait until we arrive in the promised land to “rejoice in every good thing.”[1] Almost always, joy can be found on the other side of sorrow.
Program #3957
[1] Deuteronomy 26:11