When Prayer is Bittersweet (Praying on Mother’s Day)
It has been said that emotional maturity including the ability to accept the possibility of having two conflicting emotions at once. If true, then we might say the Bible is quite an emotionally mature book. For the Bible regularly places joy and suffering side by side. For instance, psalms of praise and lament are regularly placed adjacent to one another unashamedly. The Bible regularly places joy and suffering side by side. Yesterday—Mother’s Day—I sought to bear witness to this biblical testimony in the way I led our brief time of prayer. I did so because I have witnessed two equal...