Sorrow is a soul-sucking emotion that seems to take the joy out of life. It is so hard to overcome that sadness, especially when events of life seem to keep stacking upon you. So how can you find happiness in great times of sadness?
There is a song that I have heard several times called When We Fall Apart by Ryan Stevenson that I listen to on KLOVE, a Contemporary Christian radio, in which he explains how he was so saddened by the loss of his mother to cancer. In the song, he references that she told him that “the only way to heal a broken heart, is when we fall apart.” In other words, it is okay to cry. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be mad about the situation that you are being faced with and choices that you didn’t want to have to make. No matter what, God knows what your tears are about. He knows that it’s part of the healing that needs to take place. You can’t change what has happened or even what you know will happen but you absolutely need to let yourself grieve about whatever it is happening in your life that is keeping you from being happy.
God never said that we wouldn’t have times of sorrow but that in time, the tears will be turned into laughter. Just like a wound that hurts and bleeds, then heals over time, so does your heart. In time, you begin to remember all of the beautiful things about that person or place that you were glad that you now have as memories. The sorrow may never completely go away, but as time goes on, the joy comes from having had that time in your life when you can look back. Those are the memories that come with finding joy in the midst of your sorrow.
What did I learn from this? Each hard thing that I went through, has made me a better person. It made me stronger. God doesn’t do this to punish us, however, I do think that it happens to shake us up and help us to realize that we need to turn our hearts and minds and hurts and joys over to a God who loves us completely. He desires for us to turn to Him all the time, not just in times of sorrow. I know that He’s with me all the way through the valleys and the hills that come with living. (related post: Traversing the hills and valleys of life with grace )
What can you gain from this? Everyone expresses sorrow differently. It’s okay. Never compare how you mourn against how someone else mourns. Your way is right for you. Remember, it’s okay to have all the feelings that you have. Express them in positive ways, like, for example: painting, going for long rides, going to visit a close friend, writing out your feelings…. The point is, is that you need to find a way that works for you and that helps you to find your joy in life again.
A Joyful Mission 