Endless Joy

For Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Proverbs 14:13

Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and the end of joy may be grief.

Not all is what it seems. That neighbor who is laughing may be experiencing immense anguish. That couple who seem so happy may be filled with sadness. The news of joy may be setting in motion great grief. This is the character of life in this world, that joy is either mixed with sorrow or but an interlude between times of grief and anxiety. The story of the world is the story of Camelot. No matter how good a place and time may be, seeds of sorrow are always sown and bear fruit. Such is the story of every individual.

Nothing is certain. No joy is lasting. No sky is cloudless. Except...

Except the one thing that matters most - the guarantee of everlasting joy. The guarantee that there will come a time will the heart will never ache; that laughter will be of pure joy that will never end in grief. There will be a time when there shall be no "mourning nor crying nor pain anymore" (Revelation 21:4).

In your grief, Christian, remember your true hope which cannot be denied you. Your inheritance is everlasting joy in the presence of your Redeemer. Take joy in that hope now. Take joy in knowing that the laughter you experience here is but a preview of the laughter in eternal glory. Begin enjoying now the eternal life that is yours. There are trials in this life, to be sure. But you can withstand the trials if you but keep the hope that is before you, and you look for the signs of that "weight of glory" that is yours. You will find those signs in good joy; in the blessings of Christian fellowship; in worship; in meditating upon the sacred words of Scripture; in beholding the beauty of the world. The signs of eternal joy are all about you.