After-thoughts

By STLloyd

I fretted a little last night, as I lay in bed, about the last post, concerned that I might have been offensive to some in my remarks.  I often hash through my thoughts in writing when I’m grappling with something, only this time I did so publicly, and did not anylize or second-guess, just wrote what was on my heart and mind, and hit “publish”.  As I sat with my Bible this morning, I read Proverbs 14 and in the Lord’s very personal way of ministering to us, He spoke to me on the subject in question, that being happiness and joy.  Verse 10 said The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doeth not intermeddle (share) in his joy.  Then in verse 13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.  Why, that’s precisely what I had been trying to convey yesterday!  Joy and sorrow are very personal things.  For everything there is a season.  The sorrow of this life does not go away, even while we are laughing, and when the laughter ends, the heaviness can seem all the more heavy.  And therein lies the reason I tend to believe that many “ever-smiling” people do what they do.  They want to avoid that heaviness that comes when the smiling and laughing stops.  That is not bad, necessarily, but it is a form of avoidance.  I suppose it is my own life experience that has led me to adopt the philosophy that it is always better to face harsh realities sooner rather than later.  To each his own.  Just like the comment I made about church 3 times a week.  In no way is that a bad thing.  My point was merely that we should always differentiate between what is Scripturally mandated, and what is tradition, else we run the risk of veering into legalism.  Jesus fulfilled the law, and we have freedom in Christ, but should always bear in mind that “there is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.  When in doubt, study it out in the Word. God will alwaays give you the understanding if you ask for it.

I just felt led to follow up this morning.  Stay tuned for the day’s news.

5 thoughts on “After-thoughts”

  1. Let´s blame it for the little internet demon! You made my day! That just proves that even in our sadness we can laugh. I laugh a lot in spite of my melancholy temperament.

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    • ROTFL! I don’t know why my comments so often get chopped off like that! I am a little ADD but not quite that bad. What I had actually written was: I can always count on you for thoughtful and insightful commentary.

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  3. Hi Sandee! You have expressed very well what a lot of people feel but do not talk about openly because of the fear of being type cast as negative and/or ungrateful. Just for a start, the thought came into my mind just now even after I made a study on the subject following this addendum to your 1st post. Isaiah 53 describes our Lord as a man of sorrows.

    I went and did a little research on the words bitter and bitterness to highlight the differences between the 2 manifestions of this powerful emotion. First in Deut 29:18 which talks about a bitter root of GALL

    H7219 רוֹאשׁ רוֹשׁ ro’sh (roshe) (or rowsh (Deut. 32) n-m.
    1. a poisonous plant, probably the poppy (from its conspicuous head)
    2. (generally) poison (even of serpents)
    [apparently the same as H7218]
    KJV: gall, hemlock, poison, venom.
    Root(s): H7218

    and WORMWOOD: H3939 לַעֲנָה la`anah (lah-an-aw’) n-f.
    1. wormwood (regarded as poisonous, and therefore accursed)
    [from an unused root supposed to mean to curse]
    KJV: hemlock, wormwood.

    Next comes the bitter tears of Hannah, Samuel´s mother:
    I Sam 1:10 and she was with bitterness of soul and prayed unto the lord and wept sore.
    H4751 מַר מָרָה mar (mar) (or (feminine) marah {maw-raw’}) adj.
    1. (literally or figuratively) bitter
    2. (as noun) bitterness
    3. (adverbially) bitterly
    [from H4843]
    KJV: + angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, X great, heavy.
    Root(s): H4843
    [?]
    H4752 מַר mar (mar) n-m.
    1. a drop
    [from H4843 in its original sense of distillation]
    KJV: drop.
    Root(s): H4843

    Here we can see that Hannah was full of sorrow, deep sadness, grieving for her lack of children, she was praying to God and was shedding tear drops. Interesting that strong emotions can be mistaken for drunkenness, even the opposite one, such as in the disciples rejoicing and praising God at the outpouring of the Holy spirit at Pentecost.

    Nothing to with the anger, the desire for revenge to hurt a perceived wrong done by an imaginary enemy as in the case of Saul who wanted to destroy David.

    It is interesting to do a study on the bitterness of Saul and the development through anger, jealousy, desire for revenge, obsession, including and killing other innocent people in his paranoia just because he thought they were with David against him. Search for power and control, wandering into forbidden territory of witchcraft and finally committing suicide.

    Having known and talked to homosexuals and lesbian feminists, It seems that as the primary cause of their problems lies a root of bitterness and an insatiable desire for revenge and control over other people which is really in defiance of God´s plan and order for mankind. I have noticed a tendency to be involved in witchcraft to gain power to redress the wrong done to them in their childhood by people who were supposed to love and nurture them.

    I know first-hand what this is. Before meeting Christ, I was a very bitter, hard hearted and vengeful person who waited and plotted to get even.
    Another character full of bitterness was Simon Magus who was also involved in witchcraft. Acts 8:23: Peter told Simon: “I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness”

    G4088 πικρία pikria (pik-ree’-ah) n.
    1. acridity, extremely bitter
    2. (especially) poison
    {literally or figuratively}
    [from G4089]
    KJV: bitterness
    Root(s): G4089
    [?]

    Here we have even a stronger influence of bitter poison which would be from and external cause and the internal reaction from the one who participates in the devil´s work.

    No wonder the aposte Paul warns us to stay away from and not nourish bitterness in Hebrews 12:15. I know what it is to have been married to a bitter woman and believe me, the scripture is right when it says bitterness defiles many.

    I didn´t think anything negative about your first post, that was just the honest expression of what you feel, but I also appreciate your concern about not offending people. May be because I too have suffered for 40 years of chronic back pain and several back injuries due to a congenital malformation of the spine.

    Now being 69 years old and having to work part-time to complement my
    SS retirement meager check, I feel the increasing attraction of the time when I will be pain free, when My thoughts will be totally pure and my speech unhesitating and understood for what I meant and not for what was awkwardly and perhaps too spontaneously uttered.
    I too cherish moments of total silence and solitude that provides the climate for meditating on the Scriptures.

    Thanks for being real.
    Jean-Louis.

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