“A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:4, NKJV)

One reason I love the Bible is that it doesn’t sugar-coat its heroes. We see them for who they are—the good, the bad, and the ugly. They were not perfect people, but sinners with like passions as us. Sometimes they got it right; other times they were way off the mark. But God loved them anyway and still used them.

When David heard the news that his son Absalom was killed in battle, he was an emotional trainwreck. Probably all his regrets as a man and as a father came crashing down on his head. All he could cry was, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” But this was not the time for mourning. Joab and David’s men had just risked their lives to quell the rebellion and save the lives of the king’s sons, daughters and wives. By his attitude, David turned the joy of victory into the gloom of defeat. It appeared to David’s men that he loved those who hated him and hated those who loved him (2 Samuel 19:6). David did not always have the greatest relationship with his nephew and general Joab. But Joab saw the situation clearly and knew that if David didn’t immediately change his attitude, then he would lose everything. David did not have the luxury of emotional indulgence. He had to pull himself together and immediately comfort and encourage his men or else they would desert him, and he would be worse off than ever before. David took Joab’s advice and sat in the gate before the people.

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy:

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5, NIV)

In difficult circumstances, we don’t have the luxury of “wigging out”. We cannot become an emotional basket case. It’s been said that a fool puts his heart before his head, but the wise person puts his head before his heart.

The time would come when David could mourn in private, but not today. Spiritual maturity means enduring hardship and executing your duties regardless of how you feel.