Happy....

Happy....

In looking up the word happy in the concordance, there were fewer than 25 references...but I thought we are supposed to be happy...the culture says....
No, we are to be joyful....in all things...

The the following verses are some that depict "happy"....

The righteous may be happy...
The childless woman may be happy...
A heart may be happy...
A do-gooder may be happy...
A toiler may be happy...
Good times may produce happiness...
Repentance bring happiness...

There are other references as well, we are happy who we see wickedness punished...that one creates conflict for me.  On one hand I want revenge  for those who are evil, on the other hand, I have a hard time seeing anyone hurt...even for revenge sake...

Psalm 68:3
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 113:9
He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord.

Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Ecclesiastes 3:12
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.

Ecclesiastes 5:19
Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:14
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.

2 Corinthians 7:9a
yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.....

James 5:13
[ The Prayer of Faith ] Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

So what produces laughter?

Sarah laughed when she heard the "absurd" pronouncement that she would bear a child...what a joy that would bring to her....

Great things in our  lives brings laughter....joy....

I have to admit that the last verse is hard still...with grief, there are tears, anxiousness, and guilt with laughter....it is hard to laugh and not feel guilty because things are still hard....tears close to surface ....but laughter feels both good and bad at the same time...

 I am hoping that time will bring a balance.....there is deep joy, while a storm may still cover the surface...that is my picture....of hard times....

Job 8:21
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Proverbs 14:13
Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.

Lord, thank YOU for joy, laughter, tears,   They all have a way of cleansing the soul...