drinking deep of grief
July 13, 2010 — genvessel
Do you have seasons where you feel overwhelmed by the world? Moments where the stack of sadness in front of you completely obstructs the promise of hope? Today is one of those days for me. That stack of sadness is full of both specifics and generals but they all add up to cloud the hope and I find myself exhausted by it all. I read this quote this morning and wanted to share it. I’m going to embrace the divine chaos, breathe deeply and enjoy the ride. But embracing and breathing today also requires grieving. So I am leaning into that grief this afternoon – for families torn apart by conflict beyond their control, for cultures at war with themselves, for children who will never know safety and for women who will never chose their own paths.
But does enjoying the ride mean ignoring the brokenness? Does full participation in humanity require holding both sides of the spectrum in tension? To fully drink of joy, doesn’t it also require sitting in the sorrow and drinking deep of that as well? I think so. Especially because most of the people with whom we endeavor to do life with live lives full of each – deep sorrow, unspeakable joy and every emotion in between. Our placated answers simply will not suffice. To truly live requires grace, perseverance and a willingness to live in mess.
There’s a sister quote to this one, from Hunter S. Thompson, that says, “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming — WOW– What a Ride!” I thought about that quote a lot when I was in India: what would it look like for me to love so deeply that I died thoroughly used up?
Lots of questions today, friends, and few answers. I’m in the process of crafting a few other posts around this topic, so keep your eyes peeled. I look forward to feedback and conversation.
