Love Sorrow

"Love Sorrow" by Mary Oliver: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/309385-love-sorrow-love-sorrow-she-is-yours-now-and-you

(This is a link to a really beautiful poem that I reference in the rest of this post. I decided not to post the words directly, though, because I'm not sure if that would interfere with some copywright stuff. :)

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What should we do with our sadness? Frustration? Stress? Pain? Loneliness? Fear of the future? Concern for others? I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

There are many things we can (and even should) do. But when we're grappling with intense, difficult emotions, it's important to remember to show kindness to ourselves. Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets, and one thing I love about this particular poem is the metaphor of sorrow as a little girl. If you or I encountered a suffering child, wouldn't we desire to do everything within our power to help her? I believe we should extend this level of compassion not only to others, but also to ourselves when we're hurting.

Better yet, when we find it impossible to love otherselves, our Father receives us with open arms. My prayer for us this week is that in all the areas where we feel broken, we would let Love teach us to love again. I truly believe His Love changes everything.

And, as is displayed in the Pixar movie Inside Out, powerful things can happen when we allow sadness and joy to dance together.

Praying for you this week, friends!

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"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

- Psalm 34:18 (NIV)