We’ve covered a lot of ground in our study of Ecclesiastes
3. From birth and harvest to killing and building. As we continue with verse 4,
we are told there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh.
What first comes to mind when you hear that contrast?
I don’t typically leap from weeping to laughing. If I’m sad
enough to cry, then I’m not finding much humor in anything. The Hebrew word
translated ‘weep’ is deep sorrow. It is bemoaning something, such as a death.
The word for laugh can also be translated as ‘to play’. So, in this phrase deep
lamentation and child-like joy and play are put in juxtaposition.
Looking to God is a good way to keep from being sucked into
a cycle of depression when there is a lot to make us want to weep. The Bishop
of the Diocese of the Rio Grande has suggested that balancing news watching
with at least as much time spent reading the Bible is one way to combat this.
There are many uplifting passages in the Bible. There are also those that
affirm that weeping and laughing are normal parts of the human condition.
Psalm 30 reminds us that God can bring joy out of what seems
to be only sorrow. It begins by stating, O Lord my God, I cried to you for
help. Then goes on to call for praises to the Lord…[because] Weeping may
linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. The Psalm ends by
proclaiming, you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so
that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus promises Blessed are you who
weep now, for you will laugh. He also warns woe to you who are laughing
now, for you will mourn and weep. (Luke 6:21-25) Joy and sorrow are two
sides of the same coin. We wouldn’t know joy if there was never any sorrow, nor
would we know sorrow if we were not sometimes joyful.
Certainly, there are things that can make us sorrowful now.
Loudly expressed rage and hatred spew across our TV and computer screens. We
are just entering into the time when we’ll be assaulted by hateful political
ads. We are confronted by our own fears and needs as we remain mostly staying
at home. We may want to rage and scream, and yes weep, at the unfairness of
COVID19. We may want to bemoan the societal inequities that the pandemic has
brought into stark view. Maybe we want it all to just ‘go away’ so life can be
‘normal’ again, even as we know that normal will never be quite the same.
If we just look at the world via the news, we might find
ourselves in a state of constantly weeping. However, if like Mr. Rogers, we
“look for the helpers” we might find things to smile and even laugh about. We
hear of children who raise money to buy masks for first responders, of farmers
who donate their crops to food pantries, of men, women, and young people
reaching out to help those stuck at home by bringing groceries or mowing lawns.
We listen to virtual choirs and watch videos of talking dogs or cats drinking cream during Morning Prayer.
We read the Bible and call each other. We reach out in love and seek common
ground rather than division. We remember ‘we are all in this together’. It’s
not a USA problem, it’s international. It’s not about being forced to wear a
mask it’s about caring enough to wear a mask. It’s not about whether there are
good cops, it’s about stopping unnecessary force by any law enforcement. It’s
not one sided, it’s humanity sided.
This week, take time to pray about some of the things that make you
weep.
Find time to laugh at crazy cat videos or funny stories.
Try balancing your news obsession with Bible reading and
prayer. One opportunity is to spend an hour with me for the next 7 Fridays
studying my latest book: The Lord’s Prayer: Walk in Love. Email Cindy to
get the Zoom link to participate live, or follow via on Facebook.
