Is your God a gloomy God or is He a source of joy to you? Do you know that Christ came to stop sighing and not stop singing; to drive away tears, not to drive away smiles?
"Some people have the notion that religion is a melancholy affair; that there is something ugly in humour and that laughter partakes of the nature of sin. But such ideas do not harmonize with the ideal of beauty and brightness reflected in the handiwork of God", that from columnist John R. Gunn. He goes on, "Observe the majestic beauty of the night; the canopy of Heaven with its luminous stars and moon. Look at the Sun as it rises in the early dawn, bringing life again to a still, quiet world. Look at the beauty of the flowers that dress the Earth in splashes of color. In the midst of all this, God created beauty. Does He expect His children to be gloomy and melancholy? I say it is not true. I believe in a religion that can laugh as well as cry."
Christ does not oppose to the pleasant things of life, indeed the purest pleasures and sweetest joys are to be found through association with Christ and His people.
You remember Isaiah's words concerning believers? They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. So, I say, away with the notion that religion is a melancholy affair.
If you are a child of God, let your countenance reflect the brightness and gladness we see flaming and flashing upon the face of nature and let the joy and the love of Christ fill your whole life.