My barn burnt down...

My barn burnt down... but now I can see the moon.

--- Zen

This is Part 2 to yesterday’s “Thought…,” (“weeping may endure… but rejoicing…”). You didn’t know there’d be a Part 2, huh? Neither did I.

I wrote these 3 very long pages about going through the darkness of night to get to the refreshment of the morning, and while it’s true/a fact/God’s promise that morning does come after you’ve conscientiously travailed through the night and after you’ve pulled up the weeds you’ve erroneously and improperly tended and after you’ve mystically received salve to heal/reconcile/fix the wounds of inner and outer destruction, it doesn’t mean you can’t also find and have joyfulness/cheerfulness/optimism/resilience while in the dark.

Joy in the dark? Cheerfulness when all this mess abounds? Geez, how Pollyannaish.

It may be. But let’s look at it from another angle.

Proverbs 15:13 (MSG) says, “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.” Proverbs 15:15 (MSG) says, “A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song.” Then, Proverbs 17:22 (MSG) says “A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired. And Jesus, the One who had every right to be sad and stay sad, said in John 16:33 (KJV), “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Nothing Pollyannaish about that. That’s the truth!

Between the night and the morning is time – time to reveal, examine, and heal. And while those can be/are often tedious processes, God still requires that we “take heart” – have courage; be confident, certain, and undaunted (AMP). God requires that we be cheerful, trusting that He is always present and working on our behalf. God insists that in the period of time between the dark and the sunrise, we show gladness so that others might see and believe, and God wants you praise and worship Him even when the space between sadness and joy is so overwhelming, the last thing you want to do is praise, let alone open your mouth to say anything positive!

Think on (read!) Acts 16:16-40. Paul recounts that he and Silas were arrested for “disturbing the peace,” beaten then thrown into jail, practically naked, with a bunch of criminals. He says they (he and Silas; the prisoners couldn’t see how they could do such a thing) spent the night praying and vibrantly singing songs of praise and hymns of joy to God and, as they were lifting these powerful exaltations, an earthquake came and burst open the jail freeing them all if they so chose (of course, they didn’t leave, and they even introduced the weary jailer and his family to Jesus). But you see, even in the midst of persecution/abuse/cold-bloodedness/ neglect/heartlessness/unkindness/disrespect/unrest, you still have to be cheerful, thankful, and worshipful because in spite of it all, God’s got you.

That means you have to see the glass as half full, and you have to believe that, even though everyday is not a good day, there’s something good in every day. Maybe you lost your job. That’s devastating! But now you have time to start your own business! Maybe the power company cut your lights off. It’s cold outside! But now you get to cuddle with your honey or your kids and spend quality time together singing and praising God for one another! Maybe you don’t have a dime in the bank. Payday is not for another 8 days and you ain’t bought no food! But you do have some staples and a mean recipe for eggs, potatoes and a small piece of fish! And that barn? Sheesh, who needs a barn these days anyway? Sit back and enjoy the moon and the stars and whatever else God put out there in the universe. That’s probably what God wanted you to do anyway.

Aha! God wants you to sit back (be still) and take notice of what He put here for you to take notice of/experience/enjoy, not worry about the nooks and crannies between night and daylight. God’s got that.

Bishop Walter Hawkins sang, “Don’t wait ‘til the battle is over, shout now! You know in the end you’re gonna win.” So if you know that when it’s over you’ll be okay – better than okay with Jesus – why let sadness be your travel companion as you journey through to day? Don’t wait ‘til later when the stuff is no more and all pretty and fixed up. Right now, be of good cheer; know that Elohim is Jehovah Shammah (He’s there) and Jehovah Shalom (He is peace). Shout now while it’s dark.