Day 6- Dealing with Sorrow

William Shakespeare, in his play, Much Ado About Nothing, wrote "Everyone can master a grief but he who has it." In this quote, Shakespeare was saying that a person who is not going through sorrow finds the sorrow of another easy to face, but if he himself was facing it, he would find himself difficult to console. 

As humans we face sorrow more times than not, but it is 'how' we handle it is more important that the number of times we've faced it.

The question is; how should we face sorrow? 

Firstly, as Christians we must face everything we go through with faith, believing that God has a bigger and better plan for our lives Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us of this. Through faith in our God, we are able to have peace knowing that even in times of sadness he is putting the pieces in place in our lives.

Secondly, sometimes unfortunate things happen perhaps at home, at work or school or even during our everyday errands which may trigger sad and negative thoughts, this is why we need to always remember to guard our hearts, Proverbs 4:23-26, because there is a constant war going on inside our minds. 

Thirdly some of the people in our lives; be it our friends or family members, may have a negative influence on our spirit through their words or actions, and this may cause us to feel discouraged.

A Japanese saying goes like this, "An apprentice near a temple will recite scriptures untaught". The meaning of this is that our environment helps to shape our character. If you are surrounded by negative unhappy people, you may find yourself becoming just like them. It may be better if you kept your distance if you could or try to ignore their negative actions or comments by being positive.

The Bible also encourages us by reminding us that God comforts us when we face sorrow. Psalm 34:18 states "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."  So we need not fear or be dismayed. Our heavenly father is nearest to us when we are sad and that is something to be joyful about!

So whenever you feel sad, remain encouraged remembering that you are very lucky and that God would never put you in a situation he thought you couldn't handle.