I've found that God can turn my tears into dancing, replacing my pain with joy so that I can live with a happy heart. Life throws curveballs, no doubt, but I see those challenges as opportunities to lean on God, to truly know Him, and to live confidently in His powerful love.
So, I encourage you to smile. Laugh! Show whatever you're facing that you are more than a conqueror through Christ. Let joy fill you because of what the Lord is going to do in your life. Don't get bogged down in what's happening right now. Your joy will be restored, and you'll be able to laugh about the future because you have hope in the Lord, the One who lifts you up, sustains you, and never leaves your side.
Laugh, even if you're alone. Let your laughter ring out and confuse those things that try to bring you down. Even when things are tough, remember your Creator won't leave you on the ground. He'll lift you up, fight for you, give you victory, and help you break free from pain and fear.
You'll find your mouth filled with laughter, constantly praising His greatness, and your eyes will continue to see His goodness in this life.
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh; neither shalt thou be afraid of the chayyat ha'aretz.
Lament and mourn and weep. Let the tzechok (laughter) of you be changed to avelut (mourning), and the simcha of you be turned to tugah (sadness).
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and leshoneinu (our tongue) with rinnah (joyful song); then said they among the Goyim, Hashem hath done great things for them.
Therefore Sarah laughed [titzchak, sounds like Yitzchak] within herself, saying, After I am grown old shall I have pleasure, adoni being old also?And Hashem said unto Avraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I which am old of a surety bear a child?Is any thing too hard for Hashem? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, in due season, and Sarah shall have ben (son).Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And He said, Oh yes but thou didst laugh.
Ashrey are the ones hungering now, for you will eat your fill. Ashrey are the ones weeping now, for you will laugh [YESHAYAH 55:1,2; 61:2,3].
An et (season) to weep, and an et (season) to laugh; an et (season) to mourn, and an et (season) to dance;
Ka'as (sorrow) is better than laughter; for sadness of the countenance is good for the lev.
Even in shekhok (laughter) the lev is sad, and the acharit (latter end) of that simchah is grief.
And she said, Elohim hath brought me tzechok (laughter), so that all that hear yitzchak (will laugh) with me.
For as is the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the kesil; this also is hevel.
Oz (strength) and hadar (dignity) are her clothing; and her smile is toward the yom acharon (coming day, future).
Thou wilt show me the Orach Chayyim (the path of life); in Thy presence is fulness of joy, at Thy right hand there are pleasures netzach (for evermore).
For ye shall go out with simcha, and be led back with shalom; the harim and the geva'ot (hills) shall break forth into singing before you, and kol atzei hasadeh shall clap their hands.
Thou hast put simcha in my lev, more than in the time that their dagan and their tirosh increased.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing meshek hazara (seed to be sown) shall doubtless come again with rinnah, bearing his alummot (sheaves [of harvest]).
There is nothing better for adam, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his nefesh find satisfaction in his amal. Also this I saw; even this was from the Yad HaElohim.
(5:18) Also kol ha’adam to whom HaElohim hath given osher and possessions, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his chelek, and to rejoice in his amal; this is the gift of Elohim.(5:19) For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because HaElohim keeps him occupied with simchat libbo (gladness of his heart).
Then I commended simchah, because a man hath no better thing under the shemesh, than to eat, and to drink, and to have simchah; for that shall accompany him in his amal the yamim of his life, which HaElohim giveth him under the shemesh.
Go thy way, eat thy lechem with simchah, and drink thy yayin with a lev tov; for HaElohim now accepteth thy ma'asim.Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no shemen (ointment).Live joyfully with the isha whom thou lovest all the days of thy chayyei hevel, which he hath given thee under the shemesh, all the days of thy hevel; for that is thy chelek in this life, and in thy amal (toil) which thou laborest under the shemesh.
To grant unto Avelei Tziyon (Mourners of Zion), giving unto them a flower wreath instead of ashes, the shemen sasson (oil of joy) instead of avel (mourning), the garment of tehillah (praise) for the ruach of keheh (fainting, a heavy spirit); that they might be called Eilei HaTzedek (Oaks of Righteousness), the planting of Hashem, that He might be glorified.
But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, hinei, I create Yerushalayim a rejoicing, and her people a joy.And I will rejoice in Yerushalayim, and joy in Ami; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying out.
Hashem thy G-d in the midst of thee is gibbor; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with simchah; He will quiet [you] in His ahavah (love), He will joy over thee with singing.
These things I have spoken to you that the simcha of me may be in you and the simcha of you may be made shleimah.
Until now you did not ask anything b'Shem of me. Ask and you will receive that the simcha of you may be shleimah.
And now to You I am coming, and I speak these things in the Olam Hazeh that they may have my simcha made shleimah in themselves.
(14) Restore unto me the sasson of Thy salvation; and uphold me with a ruach nedivah (a willing spirit; see Jer 31:31-34).
Hashem is my strength and my mogen; my lev trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my lev greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I thank Him.
Be glad in Hashem, and rejoice, ye tzaddikim; and shout for joy, all ye yishrei lev (upright in heart).
[12] Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with simcha;[13] That kavod (my glory, my soul) may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. Hashem Elohai, I will give thanks unto Thee l'olam.
Have simcha (joy) and lev sameach (glad heart), for your sachar (reward) is great in Shomayim, for thus they persecuted the Neviim before you.
And his Adon said to him, Shkoyach (well done), eved tov vneeman (good and faithful servant)! A few things you were faithful over, over many things I will ordain you. Enter into the simchah of your Adon.
For the Malchut Hashem is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of tzedek (righteousness, DANIEL 9:24), shalom (peace) and simcha b'Ruach Hakodesh.
A lev same'ach maketh a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the lev the ruach is broken.
All the days of the oni are ra'im, but he that is of a tov lev hath a mishteh tamid (a continual feast).
The ohr (light) of the eynayim rejoiceth the lev, and a good report giveth health to the etzem.
It is simchah to the tzaddik to do mishpat, but terror for the po'alei aven (workers of iniquity).
By peysha (transgression) an ish rah is snared, but the tzaddik doth sing and have simchah.
The prospect of the tzaddikim shall be simchah, but the tikveh of the resha'im shall perish.
(2) Thou shalt multiply the Goy (Nation), and increase its simchah; they joy before Thee according to the simchat baKatzir, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Thy Devarim were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Davar was unto me the sasson and simchat levavi; for I am called by Thy Shem, Hashem Elohei Tzva'os.
(4) But let the tzaddikim have simchah; let them rejoice before Elohim; and, let them rejoice with simchah.
(5) For Thou, Hashem, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will joy in the works of Thy hands.
I say to you that in the same way there will be more simcha in Shomayim over one choteh (sinner) who becomes a baal teshuva than over tishim vteshah tzaddikim who have no need of teshuva.
In the same way, I say to you, there is simcha in the presence of the malachim Hashem over one choteh (sinner) who becomes a baal teshuva.
Have simcha in that day and leap for chedvah (rejoicing), for your sachar (reward) is gadol in Shomayim. According to the same their Avot were doing to the Neviim.
May the Elohei HaTikvah (the G-d of hope) fill you with simcha and shalom in believing, that you may overflow in tikvah (hope), in the ko'ach (power) of the Ruach Hakodesh.
He is the one for whom you have ahavah, even though you have not seen him. Though you do not now see him, you have emunah in him [as Moshiach] and rejoice with simcha inexpressible and full of kavod,
And, indeed, if my neshamah is to be poured out as a nesekh (libation wine) offering upon the korban (sacrifice) of the avodas kodesh (kohen's service, ministry) of your emunah, I have simcha, rejoicing together with you all [cf. Ro 15:16; 2Ti 4:6].And in the same way also you have simcha, rejoicing together with me [l:4,18;1:25;2:2,17].
And Moshiach said to them, Surely the Bnei HaChuppah (wedding invitees) are not able to act as avelim (mourners) as long as the Choson (Bridegroom, i.e., Moshiach) is with them. But the days will come when the Choson is taken away from them, and then they will undergo tzomot.
And hinei! They brought to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach a paralytic lying upon a mat. Having seen their emunah, he said to the paralytic, Chazak! (Be strong!) Selicha (forgiveness) is granted on your averos (sins)!
And he will be a simcha to you and sasson (joy), and there will be sasson rav (great joy) at his huledet (birth).
But in this do not have a lev sameach, on account of the ruchot submitting to you, but have lev sameach that your shemot have been inscribed in Shomayim.
And yom yom, devoting themselves with one mind in the courts of the Beis Hamikdash, and from bais to bais, offering the Betzi'at HaLechem, they were together at tish with single-hearted exultation and hitlahavut.
I have much ometz lev (boldness) and confidence toward you. I glory much on your behalf. I have been filled with chozek (strength). I am filled to overflowing with simcha at all of our tzoros.
I will greatly rejoice in Hashem, my nefesh shall be joyful in Elohai; for He hath clothed me with the Bigdei Yesha (Garments of Salvation), He hath covered me with Me'il Tzedakah (the Robe of Righteousness) like a Choson arrays himself with splendor, and like a Kallah adorneth herself with her jewels.
(12) Then shall the betulah rejoice in the machol (dance), both bocherim (young men) and zekenim together; for I will turn their evel (mourning) into sasson (joy), and will comfort them, and make them have simcha from their sorrow.
For libeinu (our heart) shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted b'Shem Kadsho (in His holy Name).
Shir HaMa'alot Song of Ascents When Hashem brought the return of the captivity of Tziyon, we were like the cholemim (them that dream).Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and leshoneinu (our tongue) with rinnah (joyful song); then said they among the Goyim, Hashem hath done great things for them.Hashem hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Omein, omein, I say to you, that there will be bechi (weeping) and avelut (mourning), but the Olam Hazeh will have simcha. You will have agmat nefesh, but your agmat nefesh (grief) will become simcha [TEHILLIM 30:6 (5)]
Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the nefesh, and marpeh (healing) to the atzmot (bones).
Therefore the Redeemed of Hashem shall return, and come with singing unto Tziyon; and simchat olam shall be upon their rosh; they shall obtain sasson and simchah; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
As having agmat nefesh but always having simcha, as poor but enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.
And Dovid danced before Hashem with kol oz; and Dovid was girded with an ephod bad (linen ephod).So Dovid and kol Bais Yisroel brought up the Aron Hashem with ter'uah (shout) and with the sound of the shofar.And as the Aron Hashem came into Ir Dovid, Michal Bat Sha'ul looked through a chalon (window), and saw Dovid HaMelech leaping and dancing before Hashem; and she despised him in her lev.
Oy to you, the ones having been well fed now, for you will hunger. Oy, the ones laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. [YESHAYAH 65:13; MISHLE 14:13]
Then thou shalt see, and be radiant, and thine lev shall fear, and swell; because the hamon yam shall be converted unto thee, the chayil Goyim (wealth of the Nations) shall come unto thee.
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the choice foods, and drink the sweet things, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is kadosh unto Adoneinu; neither be ye grieving; for the chedvah (joy) of Hashem is your strength.
(8) Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the tzel (shadow) of Thy wings will I sing with joy.
And the shalom Hashem [YESHAYAH 26:3; Yn 14:27; Co. 3:15], surpassing all binah (understanding), will guard your levavot and your machshavot (thoughts) in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.
And the Peduyei Hashem (ransomed ones of Hashem) shall return, and come to Tziyon with songs and simchat olam (everlasting joy) upon their heads; they shall obtain sasson (joy) and simchah (gladness), and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
[12] But let all those that take refuge in Thee rejoice; let them shout for joy l'olam, and spread Thou protection over them that they be joyful in Thee, who love Shemecha (Thy Name).
Speaking to one another in Tehillim and shirim and hymns and neshamah niggunim mi Ruach Hakodesh (soul melodies from the Ruach Hakodesh), singing and making melody in your levavot to Adonoi, [TEHILLIM 27:6]Giving todot always for everything to Eloheinu, even Avinu b'Shem Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua, [IYOV 1:21; TEHILLIM 34:1]