TOD 02.14.08

Yesterday we had a discussion about sadness and happiness because I argued, quite ludicrously, that it’s sinful to be sad. One thing that really struck me during that conversation was the potential that these dual-edged emotions have to impact our relationship with God.

When we are happy, it can bring us closer to Him as we express our gratitude to Him for the blessings. But happiness can also lead us to falsely think that we don’t need God at the moment because things are going so well. Similarly, sadness can bring us great intimacy with God as we depend upon Him to comfort and guide us through grief or disappointment. But sadness can also cause us to become bitter at God for allowing such pain to beset us.

Thus we have the power to turn blessings into curses or curses into blessings…depending on whether we creatures here below use them rightly to spur us toward the One from whom all blessings flow.