I want to focus today on this strange exhortation of James: “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” Isn’t the Christian life meant to be a life of joy and celebration? Yes, it is, but you cannot rejoice in what God does for you until you have first faced the reality of what you do to him. To get to the mountain of joy you must first descend into the valley of reality. All of us go astray from God. We all get trapped in unhealthy attitudes. We are all prone to live selfishly. It is important then that we allow ourselves to feel the pain of the inner conflict and alienation that occurs when we drift away from God. The best thing that can happen when we go astray is that we feel the deep emptiness of our position. If we neglect or hurt others by our attitudes and actions, then it is best that we feel deeply remorseful. If we have grieved God by our mistrust and waywardness, then it is best that we feel his grief. You cannot selectively stifle your emotions. If you suppress your sensitivity to the sad realities of life you also stifle your ability to feel joy. If you block out the negative truths, you also block out the positive truths. It is impossible for a person to connect with God’s answer if they haven’t allowed themselves to feel the weight of the problem. The first rung of the ladder to joy is down in the sad realities of life. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Ask God to help you to feel the reality of your situation and the joy of his grace.
Read James 4:9-10 and Psalm 126:5-6
