Sorrow

My Dad gave me an interesting article to read and I have been thinking alot about it lately. It is about sorrow. My Dad knows I have been through alot of trials over the past several years and at times have struggled to find the reasons and the possible lessons. Instead, I often feel frustration, confusion, and despair. I have even felt failure. But after reading this article, I feel differently.

I couldn't do this article by paraphrasing it so I am just sharing the bits and pieces of it that meant the most to me (in italics.) All credit goes to the author, listed below.

Sorrow is ingredient for growth
By Jerry Earl Johnston, Mormon Times June 24, 2010

Disasters, disease, drugs, duplicity - when prophets, ancient and modern, see such things, the feeling that surfaces most often in the scripture is "sorrow."

The Bible and Book of Mormon overflow with sorrowful prophets: Nephi, Alma, Mormon, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea. Sorrow is part of a prophet's job description.

It's the same today.

And as I age - and age and age - I've come to believe that's not a bad thing.

In fact, sorrow in the face of suffering, is the best response.

We see alot of anger today about the direction of society; but I've never trusted anger, not in myself, not in others. Anger may be righteous, but behind its face lurks self-interest. We may claim to be angry over immigration, gay rights, war, pestilence, but usually that anger is because we've been made to feel insecure, uncomfortable, confused.
Anger is almost always about ourselves.

Besides, feelings of anger - like feelings of fear, jealousy, even happiness - leave little room for reflection and adjustment.

Sorrow does.

Sorrow turns our thoughts and feelings inward. We ponder, we try to understand, we change.

We constantly try to cheer up folks who feel sorrowful. We want them to "pull out of it."

But sorrow is how we grow, expand our horizons and see more clearly.

The pains of sorrow are almost always growing pains.

No one enjoys it. No one seeks it out.

But it has a purpose.

And those who weather deep sorrow often emerge as valiant souls.

I think of a quote from a Scottish minister Oswald Chambers. "You always know the person who has been through the fires of sorrow and has received himself." Chambers writes. "You never smell the fire on him, and you are certain you can go to him when you are in trouble...sorrow burns up alot of unneccesary shallowness."

Anger closes doors.

Sorrow opens doors - it opens the doors into the lives of others, the realm of revelation and the doors into our deeper selves.

If something good didn't come from sorrow, what would be its point?

I think this is such an interesting concept, to compare anger to sorrow. There are so many times through trials that I want to be angry, and I am angry but am overtaken by sorrow instead. I have worried that I feel things too deeply. But if my trials ultimately lead me through the "Refiner's fire" and teach me those lessons that I need to learn, they will be worth it...in the end.

I have experienced these growing pains...alot. I am so grateful to know they have a point. I have always known it but sometimes it is certainly hard to remember when you are in the "heat of the battle." Hopefully, when all is said and done, I will see more clearly, my horizons will be expanded, and I will be the valiant soul described above. :)