.....SO WHAT CAN SATISFY OUR SOULS?

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*...SO WHAT CAN SATISFY OUR SOULS?*

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

Proverbs 14:13 *Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

Even when we laugh, the heart may be in pain. So, what can really satisfy the soul?

*Scripture Commentaries.*

Solomon opens yet another part or chapter of the human mood. This is that, though a person is in heaviness of heart, yet we see him/her laughing.

He tells us that the presence of laughter and joy is not enough to satisfy our present state or fully satisfy us indefinitely.

Laughing is not smiling.

Laughing is described as a spontaneous and instinctive expression of amusement.

It is not surprising that Solomon said that

*'....in laughter, the heart is sorrowful;...'*. This is because sometimes some people laugh in contempt, derision, and mockery.

To smile is a less expression of amusement, though not as cheerful as laughter. It also can be done as a way of scorning or in a silly way.

So, if one could laugh while his heart is sorrowful, he could also smile in the same way for the same reason.

To be able to laugh when your heart is sad tells us a lot of things.

First, no one can really know the heart of man.

Second, it tells us how someone could hide his sorrow to make others believe nothing was wrong. Pretense is common and is often a show that we could control our emotions when it is affectionately wrong to do so.

We deceive others by braving the harsh conditions we are going through by laughing. We forget that, to show empathy is to show love, Rom 12:15.

Third, it tells us that people often laugh in sorrow because there is no one else who could make them feel this way except to do it themselves. It simply tells us that if we refuse to make ourselves happy, no one would.

Fourth, it tells us that just because a man is laughing does not mean everything is well or that he is happy.

Fifth, it tells us that people can be suffering yet smilling. Their laughter is said to mingle with sorrow. It is most socially described as 'suffering and smilling'.

Sixth, Solomon teaches us that not all we see who smile are in good state of mind. They may be going through serious trouble.

Even laughter, when unguarded, uncontrolled, or uncalled for, may indicate a state of serious mental condition.

Solomon's words tell us that laughter is not an indicator of happiness , nor is it an indicator of sorrow.

More troubling is that *...rejoicing may end in grief.* (NIV) Prov 14:13b.

So, what can satisfy one's soul?

Smilling, laughter, joy, and merriment are different terms to express our hearts of gladness.

None of these is an expression of true happiness and joy.

So how could we experience our state of ecstasy yet mingle this with pain and joy ending with grief?

It tells us that God is the only true source of our desires.

Let us remember that having riches does not define true happiness and joy,

Solomon says in Eccl 2:10-11 *And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.*

*Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.*

Nothing can satisfy the soul of anybody. We will always crave more. We crave what can really never satisfy, and though we ask and have more of it, our laughter and joy of having them is at the cost of hardship, toil, often with grief. Our happiness and joy of having them is only temporary yet never-ending.

Do you want laughter and joy unceasingly?

Remember Ps 36:8: *They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.*

Laughter and joy are insatiable if God is not with us, but they become fulfilling if God is with us.

When God is with us, our souls are satisfied.

*Remorse corner.*

There is no true laughter or joy without God, and none of these could last if God is not in them.

*Call to Word action.*

Ecclesiastes 2:2 *I said of laughter, "It is folly," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Pleasure, laughter, and even an invitation to partake in what is good can be deceitful, Prov 23:1-3.

Eccl 2:1: *I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!" But it proved to be futile.*

*Prayer.*

Lord, help me to pursue my desires in Christ Jesus over and above every other desire in this life, in Jesus name.

Good morning all and have a blessed day.

God bless you.