Every week at church I attend for the last four months here in Vancouver, we read Psalms chapter by chapter. What interests me is that the book of Psalms is rich of emotions. When I read Psalms, I try to put myself in the psalmist’s shoes, trying to see what he saw, and feeling what he felt. Sometimes it is a praise full of joy, “Oh Lord oh Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth” (Psalm 8)…and we like that song. The next day, we flip over to Psalm 10:1, “Why O Lord do you stand far off?”.
Isn’t it life we live? Sometimes a sad day comes right after a happy one. Sometimes we praise the Lord, and the next day we complain to God. Some people have this idea that crying and complaining to God is a sign of poor faith. That if you have strong faith you should not feel weak. Some pastors and teachers convey the idea that good Christians don’t cry, they are always happy and upbeat. So some churches and home environments become places where people engage in denial, bottling up pain that life brings up for them. Some pastors lead people to believe that we should always be positive and happy and upbeat, no tears here, we are strong people, we are people of faith. For me, that is simply unreal and it is not what I found from the Bible.
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