One of my teachers in Bible College told a story of an ornery boy who spread some stinky Limburger Cheese on the mustache of his sleeping grandpa. When grandpa woke up he sniffed and said, “This room stinks.” He wandered through the house sniffing and said, “Why – the whole house stinks.” Then he went outside, took a sniff and said, ‘The WHOLE WORLD STINKS!”

All the time, the problem was right under grandpa’s nose.

If it feels like “the whole world stinks,” it may be wise to first check right under our own noses. A sour attitude or a victim mentality will make any atmosphere stink.

“For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The word translated “despondent” here means depressed (in mind or circumstances). Some versions use the words “afflicted” or “poor.” The rhyming concept of “happy heart” in the second half of the stanza suggests that the poverty is one of the heart and not just the bank account.

There will always be people who have more, dress better, and go on fancier vacations than you and I. And it’s easy to get our eyes on that and focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do.

I could be WAY off, but the Hebrew word that is translated as “despondent” or “afflicted” seems to suggest something about what we’re looking at. It’s aniy (aw-nee).

Ayin – pictograph: eye – see/sight, look, perceive

Nachash – pictograph: serpent – shiny, life, reflective, spiritual

Yod – pictograph: hand – make, do, work, arm, power, authority, help

If I look at the shiny life of my neighbors – what they make, what they do; it tends to make my life look less shiny by comparison. It can make me depressed. Have you ever spent time looking at other people’s lives – in a glossy magazine or on social media – and then feel kinda down in the dumps?

This same verse tells us that those with a towb lev – literally a “good heart” – they experience life as a perpetual banquet. It’s like Thanksgiving or the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet all the time! There is plenty.

And how does one get a “good heart” if one is currently depressed?

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭15‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I compared several translations on this one.

Many have the phrase “the light of the eyes” as what brings joy to the heart.

I couldn’t figure out whose eyes needed the light. Like – if I’m depressed, do I need to see someone who has bright smiling eyes and a cheerful face? Should I shine a flashlight in my eyes? Get more sunshine? Do I need to brighten my own eyes? Get some eye drops? Do I need to look in the mirror and smile? Listen to comedy?

What? Is? It? SAYING!??

So I looked it up in the Septuagint. It reads,

“The eye that sees rightly rejoices the heart; and a good report fattens the bones.”

Ahh… helpful.

The structure of the poetry has heart and bones rhyming. Good report and seeing rightly (or – if we could say, “good seeing”) are also a rhyming pair. Like this:

Good seeing > good for the heart

Good news > good for the health

SIDE NOTE

To improve your health, turn off the tv. Especially the “news.” It’s not good news.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

“Good seeing” is the opposite of the kind of seeing we talked about above – the seeing that is focused on all the shiny-life-making-and-doing-power that we don’t have. Good seeing is clear and filled with light.

Jesus taught on this very topic. I will leave you will a full quote from Him. It’s the best commentary on these Proverbs anyone could ever give.

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭22‬-‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬