“Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.” Proverbs 14:13
If you wanted to say Proverbs 14:13 in another way, you might say, “Into every life a little rain must fall.” But that in itself is a funny thing to say. Where would we be without rain. No water - no life: no rivers, no lakes, no wells. One of the biggest transporters of water is rain. Many place on earth teem with life because of the rains that come.
Does this mean that heartache and grief give life? Well, they are part of life and often in them we may draw closer to God and learn to rely on him more, which in turn brings a more abundant and peaceful life in this world and eternal life in the next.
Jesus’ earthly life ended in grief and heartache, but joy overcame those things when He rose again three days later, defeating death on our behalf. Yes, our laughter may be shadowed with heartache, and often our joy ends in grief, but in Christ there is restoration for those who have faith. As Jesus said in John 16:20, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
Prayer: Holy Lord, you have often turned my heartache into laughter and my grief into joy. As I go through this day, and through my life, help me to peacefully embrace the hardships of life firm in the faith that you have overcome all of them through Jesus Christ. Keep me in steadfast faith so that at length the heartache and grief of death itself will be forgotten when I enter into my eternal rest. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.