Joy and Grief
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You can feel hopeful and hopeless at the same time.
You can feel joy and grief in the same moment.
You can laugh and ache in the same breath.
God created us as beings with complex emotions, don’t be afraid of them.
I’ve been working through this very sentiment in therapy. I have a fear of emotions. I have an inclination to make decisions based on what’s least likely to evoke strong emotions. Growing up into my teenage/young adult years I don’t remember sharing much emotion with anyone. I kept things in. I cried in secret. I bottled things up.
But over the last years I have been witness to my husband being so open, so unashamedly emotional, so transparent about his struggles that I too have pushed further and further out of my own comfort zone to allow myself to feel again. To cry in front of people. To share my heart. It may sound elementary to some, but for me it has taken huge strides of breaking out of my shell, recognizing what I am feeling and communicating those feelings appropriately.
One of my recent fears I’ve been working through with my counselor is what if I regret moving to Northern BC? But what I’ve learned through the process is feeling regret isn’t a “failed decision”, it’s just learning and growing. Even God regretted making humankind for a moment (Genesis 6:6).
It’s all a work in progress like life always is but I felt so encouraged and affirmed reading this verse today, hopefully you do too. --- The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. Proverbs 14:10-16 | ESV
You can feel joy and grief in the same moment.
You can laugh and ache in the same breath.
God created us as beings with complex emotions, don’t be afraid of them.
I’ve been working through this very sentiment in therapy. I have a fear of emotions. I have an inclination to make decisions based on what’s least likely to evoke strong emotions. Growing up into my teenage/young adult years I don’t remember sharing much emotion with anyone. I kept things in. I cried in secret. I bottled things up.
But over the last years I have been witness to my husband being so open, so unashamedly emotional, so transparent about his struggles that I too have pushed further and further out of my own comfort zone to allow myself to feel again. To cry in front of people. To share my heart. It may sound elementary to some, but for me it has taken huge strides of breaking out of my shell, recognizing what I am feeling and communicating those feelings appropriately.
One of my recent fears I’ve been working through with my counselor is what if I regret moving to Northern BC? But what I’ve learned through the process is feeling regret isn’t a “failed decision”, it’s just learning and growing. Even God regretted making humankind for a moment (Genesis 6:6).
It’s all a work in progress like life always is but I felt so encouraged and affirmed reading this verse today, hopefully you do too. --- The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. Proverbs 14:10-16 | ESV