Life's Balance
By Jill BricoeA time to weep, And a time to laugh. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:4
Listening to some people talk, you get the impression that tear ducts are supposed to dry up the moment you become a Christian. But there is a time to weep. Jesus wept, you will remember.
Looking at some people’s faces, you get the impression that at the moment they are born again, Christians’ mouths are frozen into a line of disapproval. But there is a time to laugh. We laugh when we celebrate life. I believe Jesus laughed, too.
Sometimes speaker after speaker will bring messages of consolation, and testimony after testimony of victory over horrendous odds. The impression is given that you cannot get to know Christ properly unless your mother has been murdered or your child raped!
But there is a balance in life, which the Scripture above speaks about. There is a time when it is perfectly permissible for the Christian to weep. In fact, there are some situations that demand such a response from God’s children. There is far too much injustice in our world to stay a dry-eyed disciple. On the other hand, you love Jesus no less if you enjoy a season of celebration. There is a time to laugh; thank God for that! Use it to go on your way rejoicing. Utilize that freedom from trouble to lift the spirit of the one whose time it is to weep!
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