Sit under it… credit to longbrake

Longbrake wrote- Of the few things I feel I have begun to learn in the last year, one of the most profound to me has been this: It is ok to suffer. It ok to be in the midst of pain and hurt and to simply sit under it. I (and you) do not have to push the everything is fine appearance all the time. I have discovered that covering up pain and burying it can be altogether much more detrimental to my soul in the long run. And because of this, I must not only accept pain, but in some way embrace it.

Go to the site and read all the comments on this but i just wanted to spin from it for a bit and talk about pain, hurt, suffering or more succinctly bad shit happening in the world (Ross noble ref for the faithful there)

A lot of bad things have been happening to me or aound me recently made worse by being tired and busy.

I was thinking about some attitudes that people have to pain. most are not helpful.

at number one we have the Christian who says that they/you will pray and everything will be ok (I’m not encouraging you not to offer prayer but don’t be glib about it) The prime example happened when someone asked me to lead a prayer meeting last year when phil was sick and i said no cuz i wasn’t even praying myself at that time. This guy then had the cheek to say ‘come along and pray about it and God will heal Phil and everything will be ok’… Now what crap is that to say to someone who is upset?? I just couldn’t deal with it, i told him to go away using slightly different words and encouraged him to read the Bible. Personally I don’t think it makes God smaller to say he doesn’t always heal. It makes him bigger/more sovereign if he doesn’t have to do what i tell him. I also know what great strength comes from some suffering. I’m not saying all suffering is beneficial… Just don’t try to tell me to be super-spiritual because i don’t think you’re right….

Number 2 is the ‘pull you socks up and get on with it person’…. just no…. Bad stuff is happening i refuse to be happy. These are the types who wear red to funerals and always answer ‘great’ to the question ‘how are you?’ even when asked by their closest friend. No-one is always great… well I’m not.

 There are obviously a number 3,4,5 etc but right now i’m going to go ’sit under it’ so to speak but don’t expect to find me wallowing….

i still need to laugh and i’ll still be reading books and the papers, listening to happy songs and jumping in puddles. I don’t think embracing suffering as part of the human experience means that it is your only experience. It may be a major part… and it is for me on cold afternoons and after dark but if there is a miracle and the sun comes out 2m i will be in a good mood and the new music i bought still makes me happy.

‘Let’s dance to joy division,
And celebrate the irony,
Everything is going wrong,
But we’re so happy,
Let’s dance to joy division,
And raise our glass to the ceiling,
‘Cos this could all go so wrong,
But we’re just so happy,
Yeah we’re so happy.’

I don’t feel like the above song but it was in my head yesterday and i’m still dancing even if it isn’t appropriate….

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~ by hollybunch on December 5, 2007.