When Walt Disney prepared writers to develop scripts for movies, he would say to them, “Remember, if there is weeping written into the script, there must also be laughter." Walt Disney had the right of it, didn’t he? Life is not always sorrowful. It is often joyful as well. As we live out the days of our years, both tears and laughter should be expected. That is the way life is.
Today’s scripture reading
Our scripture for today includes the simple sentence: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” The word “blessed” may also be translated as “happy.” “Happy are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
Jesus may have been recalling the third chapter of Ecclesiastes where it says that there is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh.” Observant as Christ was, he saw that mourning and heartache come to everyone. Christ also observed that happiness and times of laughter come to us all too, if we will allow them. Sadly, far too many don’t. About 30,000 Americans commit suicide annually.
We each may feel blue at times. Yet with medical and spiritual help and the support of family and friends -- especially a friend named Christ -- we can believe that times of laughter and joy can and will come. There is no cause for hopelessness if we live in fellowship with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The reasons for tears
Of course, tears are sometimes necessary. Practically speaking, tears serve a very good purpose. They keep our eyes moist, washing dust and pollutants from them. Tears are the body’s way of getting rid of toxic fluids that come when we are under stress from such things as shock, mourning or pain. That is why a good cry can make us feel better. It helps us to vent our hurt feelings and relieve emotional stress. A psychotherapist tells about one of her patients who had been taught not to cry. The patient said, “My intellect tells me it is healthy to cry, but I have been brought u
