Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived blessed by God with boundless wisdom. There's a joke in the wrestling world of this. "He wouldn't know a wrist lock from a wrist watch." Solomon would definitely know. About 3 months ago we visited my parents church Lakeview Baptist Church and at the beginning of Sunday school my dad said something that stuck with me. "You can either teach a section of Proverbs or you can have a sermon on just one verse." Tuesday night I found that one verse concept he referred to. For a day and a half this verse has had my attention because it's as deep as the Mariana Trench. For almost all but one study I have used the New Living Translation of the Bible and this verse is phrased so well.
"Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains." Proverbs 14:13
I was reminded of a song that very much reflects this verse. "And if you make me laugh well I know I could make you like me, cause when I laugh I can be a lot of fun, but when we can't do that I know that it is frightening. What I don't know is why we can't hold on we can't hold on." Rich Mullins
Read Proverbs 14:13 "When the laughter ends the grief remains." Where do you go when the laughter ends and the grief remains? It's a hard question. When you've done all you can as a hero and you remove the mask and only Bruce Wayne or Barbara Gordon remains who are you? Where do you turn when your own reflection is all you see in the mirror?
I rarely reference secular music in this but I think a desperate thought fits here and really gets the point across.
"What do you got, if you ain't got love? Whatever you got, it just ain't enough. You're walking the road, but you're going nowhere. You're trying to find your way home, but there's no one there. Who do you hold in the dark of night? You wanna give up, but it's worth the fight to have all the things that you've been dreaming of."
When the laughter is gone and the grief remains where does one turn. As a human we do have options not all of them good. Robin Williams took his life. Some turn to drugs, sex, work, alcohol, or other things to dull the grief and pain.
About 5 years ago the laughter in a relationship ended for me I found myself on my knees in my living room with tears pouring down my face and my dogs crawling on me. I turned to God. in Psalms 147:3 it speaks of God mending the brokenhearted and binding their wounds. You see there is love to be found in God's presence and healing for our griefs and pains. Proverbs 14:13 is not a question but it causes questions if you stop and think. The answers to these questions are found in 1 Peter 5:6-11. There's people around you concealing a heavy heart with laughter point them to God to deal with the grief!
This study is about getting real and Honest and removing the mask and facing God and so is the music that goes with it.
The Stage is Bare/I need thee every hour by Sandi Patti
Part the Waters/I need thee every Hour/You are my hiding place by Selah
If you have never heard this sog i urge you to give it a chance and pay attention to the lyrics this song changed the way I look at prayer because it made me realize "God's not afraid of your honesty."
Honest by Margaret Becker Honesty MARGARET BECKER
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Friend of a wounded heart by Wayne Watson The Friend of a Wounded Heart
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The Father I never had by Joel Engle The Father I Never Had
Psalms 139 by Rebecca St James Rebecca St. James - Psalm 139 (with lyrics)
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Your love never fails by Jesus Culture Your Love Never Fails - Chris Quilala / Jesus Culture
As always Zach you hit the nail on the head. At this time I am going through a similar battle. You see I went to visit with Pastor Greg with a problem that I was having (still ongoing) and he asked me a question that I keep going over in my heart and mind: If you had two choices which one would you pick?
ReplyDelete1) to have the best year of your life and at the end of the year you would realize what you were asking for was not God's will. Or, you can have a great professional life and do really well for yourself and your kids but you will suffer various amounts of heartache and emotional pain (not physical). But at the end of this year you would receive what you have been asking God for. But you would also have to be willing to forgive.
I immediately choose the second one, without hesitation. Pastor Greg asked me why I was so sure and ready to go through all the heartache and pain. My answer is simple, God is on my side. And if God is on my side then who can be against me? Well that is also a simple answer, the devil. I have noticed things everywhere in my life get better, much better that I could have ever imagined. Yet this one particular part of my life seems to keep going in the complete opposite way of everything else. I pray constantly that God give me the strength to make it and to get away from any self doubt or thoughts about bad things happening to me if I do this or what if this happens. I have given my problem to God and asked him to take care of it for me because I can't do it alone. I have let go any pride I had left, allowed myself time to mediate in prayer each night before bed and each morning when I wake up. I have also started to keep a journal of my prayers to God. This world is full of evil people. As I have started a reading plan in the bible I have come to realize that all my answers were inside the Bible. And since I have been able to overcome any self doubt or lack of self esteem I have noticed that certain people have turned against me. One in particular appears to be laughing all the time and carrying on this act of joy and happiness. However, I know this person well and know this person is not happy on the inside but appears to act happy on the outside so that no one will take notice. I have and will continue to pray for this person and many others like them because I know the only thing that pride will do for a person is lead them on a dark path to the devil. Thank you for sharing your blog Zach. I appreciate each posting you make.
God is Great!!!