Lamentations before gratitude

Just the word lamentations takes me to the place that I have walked away from on purpose to search for something I can believe in. Shazam - that is a heavy opener. Lamentations. That is an old school word from my Southern Baptist church and the Baptist school I went to from 3rd to 6th grade. For me that’s where the heaviness comes from. But there’s lightness too.

“Before we could offer songs of praise and appreciation, or feast, or fellowship, we had to remind one another of all the reasons we were so very, very grateful in the first place. And we had to allow a time to weep for all that had been taken and was still being taken.” Marcie Alvis Walker

I am a positive person. I look for the good in everything. I try not to think the worst in people. I also try not to think the worst situation is the one that will come true but that is a whole ‘nother thing. Catastrophic possibilities are waiting at the door - always. There was a time I was positive to a fault. I didn’t think that was possible. I learned at an early age to look on the bright side. And I appreciate that piece of my character. But I interpreted the bright side as - what you look for while forcefully overlooking anything negative or foul that is also present. Just smile through it. There are (for real) so many good things happening all the time. But I ignored anything that wasn’t shiny and joyful. That’s not healthy. Learning to accept or adapt to stuff is a prime lesson for successful humaning. Ignoring the bad shit will sometimes act as a fertilizer. And we do not want to encourage negative growth.

“Back in the day, church services began with loss and lament. Today most churches begin with praise and worship. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but if given the choice, I think a Bible character such as Job, who was abandoned, homeless, broke, and covered in sores and dirt and judgment, would rather attend the old-school church service of my youth, while believers today, bathed in candlelight and adoration, would much prefer a worship service that begins and ends on the upbeat swing of praise and gratitude.” Another gold nugget from Marcie Alvis Walker by way of Richard Rohr’s daily devotional.

I get it. “Lamentations” is a hard sell when you want to pull people in - and help them. But going deep and accepting all that life will throw at you is the only way to grow and move toward the person you want to be.

And not Or is an essential rule if we are trying to be critical thinkers. There are highs and lows, ups and downs, high tides and low tides. It’s the law of the jungle.