I wonder sometimes why life is the way it is, why seemingly every moment is tinged with something that doesn’t belong. There are no moments of pure happiness nor of pure sorrow. Laughter is etched with tears, and pain is softened by joy. Why does everything in life taste so bittersweet?

Then I think of how it’d be to be purely happy. No worry, no pain, no tears. Just overwhelming happiness. And I realize that these mortal bodies and these frail minds likely couldn’t even handle that kind of joy. Nor could they bear such uninhibited anguish. Without a smile or a beam of light to soothe sorrow, we would break irrevocably.

We are so weak and fragile, not because God made a mistake when He designed us but because He wants us to have to rely on Him. There is no sorrow that can overwhelm us if we walk with our hand in the Father’s, nor will He allow unadulterated joy to destroy us. He tempers delight with despair, and vice versa, for our own good.

And that, to me, is beautiful. The ache behind the smiles reminds me that He is good, and the ray of light in every dark place tells me again how incredibly much He loves me. ...continue reading →