Be Glad

Our emotions are an important part of our Christian walk, one which we don't talk enough about as Christians. At least we don't in my (mostly Southern Baptist) experience. Often I am more concerned with right thinking and right doing than I am with right feeling, but Scripture has a lot to say about my emotions, so I can't ignore them. While it is true that we shouldn't be slaves to emotion, it doesn't mean that they don't matter to our faith at all.

Consider gladness. Being glad is a way for the Christian to rejoice in God's goodness. Psalm 126:3 says, "The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad." So, being glad can be a sign to the world that God has been good to you, in the same way that a wife's happiness can be a sign that her husband is good to her. Being glad can actually be a part of a good Christian testimony.

It can also be a form of thankfulness as Psalm 118:24 shows: "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Think of a little girl opening her gifts on Christmas morning. If she doesn't appear glad when she opens a gift, then you know she probably doesn't appreciate the gift. In the same way, being glad can serve as a kind of thankfulness, a show of appreciation for the gifts God has given us.

Gladness often plays an important role in worship. Psalm 100:1-2 says, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" God deserves to be served and worshiped with gladness. Our worship should be serious, but rarely (if ever) somber or sad. We ought to rejoice and be glad as we enjoy the privilege of worshiping and serving so good a Savior.

Now, I know that this mindset can be taken too far, and I know that some Christians have done that. While gladness is an important emotion in the Christian life it is not the only valid emotion in the Christian life. The Bible has much to say about the Christian experience of suffering and sorrow, of love and loss, of joy and sadness. So do not think that you must only be glad, but you must sometimes be glad. And how good a God we serve that He wants us and even commands us to be glad.