I Just Wanna Be Happy!

S
Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

O
Paul feels bad that his earlier letter (1 Corinthians) caused sorrow to his readers, but he quickly sets that aside while rejoicing in sorrow's result. He tells them that God intended for them to feel this kind of sorrow—the kind that leads to repentance, salvation, and no regret. He also tells them there is another kind of sorrow that comes from the world and brings death.

A
Wow. I can feel sorrow without fear. And it's a good thing when the Holy Spirit reveals my sin, not to condemn me, but to stimulate repentance. Sometimes this sorrow comes as the voice of conscience or the rebuke of Scripture as I'm reading. Other times it is in the words of a dear friend who sees me as I am and loves me enough to gently tell me the truth. But this kind of sorrow is always short-lived. As soon as I turn to the Lord for forgiveness and cleansing, the sorrow begins to give way to joy. If I wallow in a selfish sorrow, worrying about what others might think or how I may have harmed myself, I'm not aware of anything but my own injury. There's death in that kind of sorrow because I'm looking at myself rather than the God who saves and heals.

P
Dear Jesus: I want to be quick to repent. I want my heart to be so tender that I feel the pangs of Godly sorrow as quick as possible, so that I can turn to you from my sin without delay. I love you Lord and I want to be the kind of Christian who has a tender heart and really thick skin.