Read a friends blog yesterday who said he was lamenting a loss in his life. It hurts to hear but I know the truth behind the words. The American church doesn’t do lament very well. We seem to be a lot better at the happy go lucky, your best life now, God give me what I want brand of discipleship then lament.

In this world pain is real. Suffering is ever present. Loss is part and parcel of every day. We do our best to avoid the realities of others suffering while at the same time denying our own. I can understand the desire to avoid pain but I can also see the danger in it.

Rejection, failure, and loss do more then just hurt. These and all the other pains that haunt our lives provide a door for God to enter in and be with us. How will we ever know Gods comfort and rescue if we never need it? How will we experience the miracle of Gods “peace that pass understanding” if life is only peace?

While knowing this doesn’t help the hurt it does make me see the world differently. Lament doesn’t become my friend, but it is no longer an enemy to be avoided at all cost. Much like the running I do, I don’t like running but I really enjoy having run, lament becomes a means to an end. The process is no fun but where the process takes me is exactly where I want to go.