ECC 7:3 A SAD FACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEART

Ecc 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter because a sad face is good for the heart.
Ecc 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
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I have often wondered what Solomon could have possibly meant when he said this. I am going to take a shot at it. It seems the times you grow the most in life are wrapped in a package of great sadness or distress. You become more aware of your shortcomings and are more willing to learn from them without distraction, because you do not have a choice. Our human nature when given a choice is to take the easy way out. When you are wrapped up in earthly pleasures, you are not thinking of anything besides how much fun you are having at that moment. Nothing in that pleasure really forces you to take a look at changes that need to be made or bettering yourself. It can stagnate your life. There is not much growth involved in just trying to maintain a fun easy life and in most cases, it can be the distraction that hinders you from moving forward into the better life that God has planned for you. It seems when you are sad, there is a cleansing that eventually takes place in your heart that leads to purification when you turn to God. With hard decisions can come much sadness however these hard decisions and choices will in most cases secure a better future for you. The other reason it is good to have a sad face is that a lot of people tend to hide their feelings and put on a smile even though they are in pain. Some may deny their pain all together so they will not have to feel it. There is a releasement and a freedom that comes from voicing and walking through your pain. Keeping emotions bottled up inside can lead to many sicknesses and illnesses. Isn't it funny that tears come from your eyes and they are the lamp of your body?