It’s Not Okay to be Sad

“Joy comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5

 

Is it morning yet? Does the night go on forever?

 

“Anticipation is makin’ me late it’s keeping me waiting,” sang Carly Simon in the 70’s hit song. Sometimes we get trapped in anticipation waiting for things to happen or waiting for things to be just right.

 

My dad used to say that you have to celebrate the little victories in business. If you wait until the deal is done the amount of joy you experience at that moment will not equal the sum total of the joys you missed along the way. Celebrate the first successful call. Celebrate initial interest. Celebrate the presentation. Celebrate making the final cut. And  yes, celebrate the victory of the close.

 

Early in relationships it seems easier to celebrate each step - the first meeting, first conversation, first date, first kiss, meeting the parents, etc. But sometimes the relationship stalls and we find ourselves caught in what I call the miserable middle. We live in the suspense of wondering how things will turn out. Maybe the relationship is actually dying.

 

Is it alright to live in sadness? Is it alright to live in suspense or anticipation of what we hope happens? These lifestyles are the opposite of faith.

 

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1 NLT-SE)

 

If all Jesus ever does for you is pay the horrible price for your sin is that enough to give you a joyful journey through life? I know that Jesus wants us to celebrate the small victories along the way to His ultimate victory celebration. To fail to take joy in what He is doing in our lives today is to express doubt about His ability to come through in the end. The hurts, losses, disappointments in life are signposts designed to guide us to look forward to the day when he will wipe away every tear from our eyes. The deficiencies of this world and the weaknesses and shortcomings of people expose God’s greatness. He has no deficiencies, weaknesses, or shortcomings.

 

Don’t miss the joy of life. Can one be sad on the way to the ultimate resort?