Joy and Sorrow

Joy comes out of sorrow and is not artificial or derivative. It's organic and comes from treking the hard trails with God. It does not hide from hardships but is refined in the crush of it.

Eugene Peterson’s writes about this in "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction," about the song of assents (Psalms 120-134). In Chapter 8, which is about Psalm 126, Peterson writes:

“A common but futile strategy for achieving joy is trying to eliminate things that hurt; get rid of insecurity by eliminating risks, get rid of disappointment by by depersonalizing your relationships. And then try to lighten the boredom of such a life by buying joy in the form of vacations and entertainment. There isn’t a hint of that in Ps 126.

Laughter is a result of living in the midst of God’s great works. Enjoyment is not an escape from boredom but a plunge by faith into God’s work.

Christian joy is actual in the midst of pain, suffering, loneliness and misfortune. 

So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.”