Permission to Lament
Edouard Manet Standing by Degas I spent many years of my life restricting my emotions. I felt that a "good Christian" who possesses the joy of the Lord should never feel what I categorized as negative emotions, such as pain, sorrow, and anger. In reality, all of humanity can and should feel even emotions that hurt. Those emotions do not negate joy, and they do not necessarily indicate poor spiritual health. Instead, they are a real facet of this life that Christians must learn to handle with grace. "A man is not a bird, to come and go with springtime." - Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman I have already made it clear in my writing that joy and happiness are not the same thing . Happiness is a manifestation of pleasure with our current situation and surroundings. I feel happiness when I eat a box of Cheez-its, spend time with my family, drink coffee, sit outside, or clean my room. Happiness is not evil, nor false, nor final. It is simply a moment of enjoying th...
