Maintaining our joy...
Wisdom of Sirach 30:21-24 LXX
Do not give yourself over to sorrow,
And do not distress yourself deliberately.
Gladness of the heart is the life of man,
And rejoicing by a man lengthens his life.
Love your soul and comfort your heart,
And put sorrow far away from you;
For sorrow has destroyed many,
And there is no profit in it.
Envy and anger will shorten your days,
And worry will bring premature old age.
Personal Challenge...
We have more control over the state of our hearts than our modern culture wants us to believe. We are so often told that it is someone else's fault that we are sorrowful or depressed, or that all we need is the right pill or medication to take it away. Granted, there are certain physical conditions that can only be controlled by medical help, but for the most of us it is a matter of choice. Do we allow sorrow and grief to overcome us and control us? If we do this it becomes a deadly spiral into depression. Or do we fill our hearts and our lives with gladness, rejoicing, love for our soul, and comfort for our heart? Is this not part of the reason why we sing, "Memory Eternal!" in times of great loss and for a period of time after...to give us an opportunity to process our grief and then lift up the loss to our ultimate Comforter? As with everything else in our lives we have a choice to make.
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