S14 E2 - Living in the Tension: Joy and Sorrow

Abiding Together

In this week's episode, we reflect on the role both joy and sorrow simultaneously play in our lives. We chat about how pressing into grief allows us to more fully experience joy, and how when we try to numb ourselves to the sorrow we also numb ourselves to the experience of joy. We also talk about the importance of naming disappointments, intentionally maturing in our faith, and what we have personally learned while grieving the loss of a parent. When we learn to suffer well and meet God in the midst of our sufferings, we can reach a deep joy we never thought possible.

Heather’s One Thing - Attending and speaking at SEEK ‘24. Watch the impact session here.

Sister Miriam’s One Thing - Therapist’s Conference with the JPII Healing Center

Michelle’s One Thing - Nick Sabn Retiring From College Football

Journal Questions:

• What paradoxes am I called to live in right now?
• How can I bring the Lord into my disappointments?
• Am I more prone to pushing my emotions aside or letting my emotions rule my life (emotional gluttony)?
• In seasons of grief, who are the people who have been my midwives and accompanied me through those seasons?

Discussion Questions:

• What disappointments have you experienced this past year? Is it hard for you to be honest with God about those disappointments?
• What is God redeeming and restoring in your life?
• In a current disappointment or heartbreak you are feeling, what gratitude are you experiencing alongside it?
• What gifts of daily bread is the Lord providing for you in this season?

Quote to Ponder:

“Our life is a short time in expectation, a time in which sadness and joy kiss each other at every moment. There is a quality of sadness that pervades all the moments of our lives. It seems that there is no such thing as a clear-cut pure joy, but that even in the most happy moments of our existence we sense a tinge of sadness. In every satisfaction, there is an awareness of limitations. In every success, there is the fear of jealousy. Behind every smile, there is a tear. In every embrace, there is loneliness. In every friendship, distance. And in all forms of light, there is the knowledge of surrounding darkness . . . But this intimate experience in which every bit of life is touched by a bit of death can point us beyond the limits of our existence. It can do so by making us look forward in expectation to the day when our hearts will be filled with perfect joy, a joy that no one shall take away from us.” (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life)

Scripture for Lectio:

He turns my mourning into dancing. You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. (Psalm 30:11-12)

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