Mirth or Mourning?

Ecclesiastes says that sorrow is better than laughter, and the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. But Ecclesiastes also recommends mirth: it says there is nothing better for a man than to eat, drink, and be merry and rejoice in the wife of his youth. 

So, are we supposed to mourn and or laugh? Are we supposed to go to the house of mirth or mourning? As with so many biblical exhortations that may seem to us to be in tension, the answer is yes. The answer is both. Some of this can depend on circumstances: Paul says to mourn with those who mourn. And so Christians ought to mourn the slaughter of the unborn, all death and sickness and suffering, loss of work and livelihood, and all sin and evil. And yet, the Bible also says: rejoice always, and again I say rejoice. Give thanks always and for all things. 

Ultimately God is the only one who holds these things together perfectly. He is perfectly, infinitely grieved over sin and evil and suffering, and He is perfectly, infinitely full of mirth and joy and laughter. In Him, there is no contradiction between these, just as there is no shadow of turning or change in Him. God is never reacting; He is perfect and infinite and so He is all that He is all the time. We cannot duplicate this infinite perfection, and yet we are nevertheless commanded to imitate the perfection of our Father. And so there is great blessing for us in pursuing these things together, holding them together by faith. 

Are you tempted to make light of hardship and suffering and just laugh it off? That really is foolish. Ask God to give you the wisdom to be found in the house of mourning. Are you more tempted to gloom and sorrow and worry more often that not? That really is unbelief. Direct your heart to be merry and find God’s wisdom there. And perhaps in this moment in particular, plan to spend some time working at both things: make time to grieve sin, suffering, and death, and then plan to set a festive table and rejoice before the Lord with all your might. And do it all before the Lord asking Him to grant you the mind of Christ. 

Photo by Ice Tea on Unsplash