WE enjoy an occasion immensely but grieve that someone we love cannot be there to share it.
We weep as we take leave of a loved one but give thanks for a catalogue of treasured memories.
Our tears are often prompted by a mixture of emotions.
Eric Clapton reputedly said: "The blues is not about self-pity or self-indulgence, it's about courage in the face of adversity, the truth of the soul, and the nobility of the spirit in its infinite capacity to suffer and rejoice at exactly the same time."
Someone else has defined joy as "a delight in life that runs deeper than pain or pleasure".
It is not limited to external circumstances. One ancient Hebrew term associated with joy pictures calves leaping and skipping when released from their stall.
On occasions joy will make us want to jump and dance and sing but it goes way beyond momentary elation.
It is a constant thing, a sense of wellbeing in our very souls.
For Christians, joy stems from knowing we are loved by God, graciously forgiven and saved by Him and honoured with the opportunity to be of service to Him.
This realisation is a source of strength when we have to face sadness or hardship.
Some five centuries before Christ, a remnant of God's people were trying to rebuild Jerusalem after years of defeat, desolation and exile.
Nehemiah, the governor, encouraged them with these words: "The joy of the Lord is your strength."
In those days they must have reflected on the words of prophets like Isaiah warning their forefathers of trouble if they persisted in sinful idolatry.
Sometimes we have to learn the hard way that God is holy, that sin matters and brings dreadful consequences.
But the prophets also promised times of restoration and fresh joy when God would send a new Saviour King.
The Lord is "compassionate and gracious" and would keep the covenant promises He made to Abraham and Jacob.
He "does not treat us as our sins deserve" but sent no less than His Son to save us and bring us home to Himself.
As the Old Testament gives way to the New, angels announce to shepherds "good news of great joy", the birth of the promised Saviour, Jesus.
To this day, all who repent and trust in Him are filled with the fruit of His Spirit and find what the prophets foretold, "beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning and praise instead of despair".
Living with the consequences of sin in a world cursed with suffering and death is inevitably hard going at times but the joy of knowing God's grace and faithful love in Jesus is a powerful source of strength.
We weep, not just because life hurts, but because we're receiving a beautiful comfort and kindness we could never deserve.
The Rev Andrew Watson is minister of the Presbyterian congregation at Cairncastle, Co Antrim. He blogs at wordsurfers.com.
