Eating with Joy and Sorrow

Whether in the sorrowful setting

of the sun

or it's joy-filled rising,

there is beauty.

Welcome Joy into your day. Set a place at the table of life, so to speak, expecting her arrival. And once she does arrive, converse with her as you sit and eat. Sorrow will undoubtedly show up as well and needs a place of recognition. Neither can be ignored.

I’ve noticed as I increase my discussions with Joy I learn about gratefulness. Learning to be grateful eases the ache as I sit with Sorrow. Both listen as the other speaks. And as I gaze at them side-by-side my soul is steadied, smiles are mixed with tears and my spirit is nourished before the meal is over.

All of us will eventually come face-to-face with Sorrow. Some will refuse Her a place to sit, thinking if they don’t acknowledge Her presence, surely it will be less difficult. Others will be so overrun by the immensity of their loss, that they won’t see Joy - just Sorrow.

I’m coming to understand that if I keep inviting Joy, and her friends Hope, and Love, to sit at my table, making a crowd of gratefulness so to speak, when Sorrow unexpectedly joins us, these others hold, kiss, listen, and comfort.

When Sorrow arrives, I am learning to open the door wide and be welcoming, knowing that God will be there as well so I won’t be alone. I allow myself to grieve, weep and remember. And though it’s painful, there will be good, maybe even laughter in the messiness of life.

Yes, there is pain, there is sorrow, the heart breaks as the soul is battered and bruised, but help and healing comes too. Grace is administered to strengthen and tighten the bond that holds me secure to my God.

God, I pray just now for those whose sorrow seems beyond any measure of understanding. Hold them in those places of pain, and continue to comfort them as they think back and remember. Weep with them and restore their joy as they continue life’s journey.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice

and opens the door I will come in and eat with them and they with me.”

Revelation 3:20(NIV)

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