Joyous Lament | The Pure Joy of Perseverance

“Consider it pure joy…” There is nothing as beautiful as pure joy. In my mind, I picture the elation and exuberance that come with the joy of meeting a long-awaited baby for the very first time. Or perhaps the joy that comes on a wedding day as two lovers prepare for the journey of love and life together. Or maybe the explicit wonder of your first love or your first kiss. All of these moments of joy are things one will never forget. Or maybe you’re a roller coaster junkie like me and just love the pure exhilaration as you climb the first hill and begin the first drop. 

James 1:2 starts with that same sense of excitement. He takes us zooming down a breathtaking freefall with the hope of an incredible ride. However, immediately in verse three, we find ourselves in a hairpin break-neck, 180° turn that leaves our minds limp with confusion.

“...whenever you face trials of many kinds…” This messes with my mind. In my family of origin, troubles were always a reason for lament. There's never been in my mind anything joyous about trials and tribulations. My mother and father would frequently herald troubles with loud criticism or constant complaints. Never were troubles something to enjoy. When I first read this verse, I had to stop and ponder it for quite some time as I found it very confusing. Perhaps you do, too? 

Thankfully, James’ statement is qualified with a promise. As the muscles in my neck return to full strength, I contemplate the truth of verse three, “because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” Jesus grants us the promise of growth as we embrace our troubles and choose perseverance. James invites us to embrace joy on the journey of tested faith. By trusting God during troubles of any kind, we grow! 

Verse 4 reads, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Amid difficult and trying situations, we have a tremendous promise, a reason for pure joy. Though we may lament our current strife, if we choose, we may actively rest by strengthening our faith in who God is and how much he loves us. And in that perseverance, we may discover a new level of maturity that James calls “perfect and complete. 

Let us all take some time today to consider our current challenges. Ask the Lord to reveal to us what he feels about the difficulties we are enduring. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind us of truths about the Godhead that apply to our current situations. Let us read and reflect on scripture to strengthen our faith in our beloved Father so that we might find joyous truth to help us persevere through whatever trial or tribulation we might be enduring. His love is strong and capable of not only sustaining us, but helping us grow.

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About the Author

Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and four kids. He loves Jesus, art, music, and poetry. He currently works as the Manager of Learning Technology Solutions for Los Angeles Pacific University and is passionate about adventuring outdoors.

Joyous Lament | My Psalm of Hope

A Psalm from my heart, in thanks to Christ.

I sit in total darkness and cannot see.
I feel no walls or path to guide me.
Which way do I turn?
Does anyone hear my cries for help?
Intense anxiety churns in my stomach.
How do I escape this prison-like place?
The bitter taste of growing fear rises in my throat and wants to escape my mouth as a …

My stifled scream interrupts my thoughts and returns me to reality.
I sit in solitude in my living room, and recount my many blessings.
I have a secure place to live and do not lack for food or other basic needs.
I have friends I love and who love me in return.
But most importantly, I have a Savior who died for me and has a plan for my life.

He is teaching me to recognize the encroaching lies, and to replace them with His truths.
I drink His word which revives my soul.
I see that the failures I condemn myself for are not fatal when I hand them over to Jesus and trust Him in hopeful expectation.
Christ accepts my shortcomings and tells me His best for me is yet to come.
I can breathe again. 
He transforms me and my failures into something good for the benefit of others. 
My God is in control, and continues to keep me safe, under His watchful eye.

Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for giving me parents and a grandmother who taught me to pray.
You watched me grow, saving my life more than once.
You continue to encourage me through the words of friends, and through random conversations with kind strangers in the grocery check-out line and elsewhere.
I stand up and step away from the hovering clouds of anxiety and fear.  
I take a deep, cleansing breath and briefly close my eyes in relief and contentment. 
The adversary’s lies fall away from my spirit like scales.
I am thankful for the privilege of a fresh start and begin to move forward along Christ’s path for me, once again.  

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About the Author

Sara has attended CitySalt Church since 2004, the year it was founded. She studied Journalism, wrote for her college newspaper, and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. Sara also enjoys singing hymns with friends: “there is a sermon in every hymn waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.”

Joyous Lament | A Psalm of Desire for Direction

LORD, I cry out to you in the midst of my confusion.
Give me passion. 
Direct my desire. 
Let me delight in you.
Lead me into the wide open field of freedom You have for me. 
You have designed a path for me to walk in.
Direct my steps.
Open the door and shut the windows.
LORD use all things for good according to your purposes.
You know the plans you have for me. 
Plans for a hope and a future.
Plans not to harm me but to heal me. 
Make me whole.
Mold me into your image.
LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise.
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
I lift my eyes up to the hills.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from you, the maker of heaven and earth;
The one that knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
You have fashioned every part of me, flaws and all.
May my weaknesses bring me closer to you. 
May I depend on you more each day.
Why O LORD do I face trials?
Why do calamities come my way?
May I find purpose in the pain and wisdom in the hurt. 
Why do I feel like I fail when I try to find my way?
How do I hear from you?
Speak to me. 
Make your voice and direction clear. 
Take away my questions and insecurities. 
May you influence my expectations.
May the groans of my inmost heart resound of your Spirit.
Be my peace, my shalom. 
May I find rest in you. 
Teach me how to be still. 
Let me lie down in green pastures. 
Lead me beside quiet waters.
Bring me perfect peace for my mind is fixed on you.
LORD I trust in You!

The Psalms are a compilation of prayers, songs of lament and praise. Many are written by King David, a man after God’s own heart, who longs to know more about God and be known by Him. I’ve always admired and been inspired by the Psalms. It’s pretty much my favorite book. I enjoy the way these prayers and songs express the writer’s brokenness and hope in the LORD. I never thought I’d be worthy of or capable of writing a psalm. But, after meditating on scripture, feeling the movements of the Holy Spirit, and listening to His still small voice within me, I begin to overflow with words. Sometimes it’s just a single word or series of seemingly random words, while other times it’s complete sentences. As I sit with these sacred thoughts, the Lord reminds me of His truths from the Bible. I bring my questions to Him and the deep longings of my heart, and He reassures my soul. At times, I close my eyes and envision images that inspire me to express my ideas in pictures. 

I’ve shared this recent drawing as an example of an interpretation of God’s freedom. He leads us into wide open space and guides us in paths of righteousness for His namesake. Even when we follow our own way, He can use our steps for His good and glory. He holds the key and is in control but also grants us the option to choose our journey. He pulls us towards Him with His love, grace, mercy, and compassion.

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About the Author

Mollie is recently married to her wonderful husband Dustin. She is a Wound Care RN at McKenzie Willamette Hospital. She enjoys being creative, getting outdoors and spending time with friends and family.

Joyous Lament | The Journey of Grief

I’d never given the process of lamenting a lot of thought until it was taught to me at a debriefing retreat. It was during a sad time in my life. While we were all at various places around the world for Christmas break, my American coworker-friends and I got word that our school in Afghanistan was closing, and we couldn’t go there. We’d just lost a lot: our jobs, our homes, our friends, our students, our belongings, and our adopted country. We were heartbroken. 

Some of us were already visiting family in the States. Others (like me) were visiting relatives in other countries for the holiday. I made my way back to the USA/Oregon for a couple weeks, with no idea of what to do next. The school network we worked for paid for us to attend a debriefing retreat in the northeast corner of the U.S. Thus most of us found our way from the corners of the world to a small lodge in snowy, rural Pennsylvania. 

Honestly, we really didn’t pay much attention to the things the director of the debriefing program was trying to teach us. Our motivation was to be together in our grief. To see each other one more time before our lives all went separate ways. And to celebrate some things together, like the couples in our group who were getting married (we went ahead and held the bridal shower we would have had in Kabul for four of my friends if we’d stayed longer). But a couple things she taught us stuck out to me. Namely, how to lament. 

It’s been several years, so I don’t have my notes anymore from that lesson or the lament that I wrote. I know it had four or five parts to it. Searching on the internet recently, I discovered that a lament can have anywhere from four to seven parts to it. The consensus seems to be at least these four: 

1. Addressing God/Turning to God: a reversal of our tendency to retreat from Him in our pain

2. Complaint: talking candidly to God about what is wrong (with the world, with our own life, etc.)

3. Ask/Request: a prayer for deliverance, healing, or other need

4. Trust/Praise: a vow to trust Him, and/or declaring His faithfulness or other attributes (sometimes these are separate, with the declaration of trust coming before the request, and then praise for Him at the end). 

Many Psalms follow this structure or a variation of it (the parts aren’t always in the same order), but Psalms 4 and 5 are easy ones to see it in. 

I love the book of Lamentations and the lamenting Psalms because of all of this. God is powerful. God is holy. God is pure. But He condescends (in the old-fashioned sense of the word, not the haughty/judgy modern use of it) to listen to us complain. Even when we’re as whiny as a two-year-old. In my experience, as long as we aren’t disrespectful in our complaints, He considers them, no matter how angry and whiny they sound. Why? Because He loves us. Psalm 5 puts it this way: (verse 7) “But I, by Your great love, can come into Your house…” We can come into God’s own space and share our hearts with Him. He welcomes it. 

Currently in my life, I have some small things to grieve. But mostly I find myself lamenting the state of the world, especially in places like Afghanistan. It breaks my heart. But when I pause from reading the news and turn to Him, talk to Him candidly about what I find wrong with the world, declare my trust in Him, ask Him to heal/deliver/etc., and praise Him for who He is, then my heart heals a little. Hopefully the world does, too. And there is joy in that. 

The debriefing retreat was probably the last time that almost all of us were together, although in the summer many of us flew to the weddings that we’d held the group bridal shower for. The retreat was a time of grief. Of lamenting, communally and privately. But also of great joy. We ended the week with laughter (reminiscing about the crazy times, confessing to our security manager all the safety rules we’d broken in Kabul, etc.). This was a great release. We were still heartbroken, but that week started the healing process in us. During the months and years that followed, we were able to help many of our former students get into boarding schools around the world so they could continue their studies. This brought us joy, because our work of helping kids could continue in a way. And we were grateful for that answer to one of the petitions in our lament. 

I pray that we all find joy and peace in this process.  

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About the Author

Jessie is a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a blog about travel and the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her sweet husband, Chris, their 5 funny kids, and 1 fluffy cat in Springfield. She loves hiking and other outdoor and indoor adventures with her family.

Joyous Lament | Singing the Blues

I’ve always been a blues music guy - that honest and soulful anthem of the nitty gritty, where life's grimy rubber meets the rocky road. It’s an absolute original American musical art form with direct roots to jazz, country and rock and roll. But even with those connections, it remains a unique music genre, in both style and verse. Born from slavery in the American South, it’s the song of struggle, stress and intense hardship. 

My interest in the blues is more than liking a catchy musical style and emotionally connecting to the horrible curse we brought to our nation's collective soul. It's certainly both of those, but I've noticed a recurring theme. The bible’s book of Psalms reveals a similar poetic structure and emotional tone - a "cry for help in a day of trouble". 

So can our laments be joyous? Should they be? 

Voicing our complaints with song, verse or speech, even though negative, elevates our soul. There is no denying the popularity of blues music and all of its cousins. In ironic contradiction, the music and words encompass not just our life’s successes, but also its gut-wrenching struggles. “Where is God and why is he allowing this to happen?!” It’s a central question. Of all the mysteries of our God, I think the WHY of suffering is the hardest to comprehend, and leads us to questioning God’s character and his actions.

Woe is me ... And woe is us! 

Suffering alone is torture. But it becomes therapy when shared. It feels good to talk it out, and “me too” empathy enhances community and strengthens its members. A blues song on a recording soothes a tired soul. But a lively blues concert on a warm summer night brings a real synergy to the crowd, reminding us that we are not alone. 

But back to the why.

Yes it's a mystery, and a hard one to embrace. For some, it's a daily slog through the muck, and seemingly never-ending. And the why remains. Constant. As we search the heavens for an answer, it rarely comes right away. But over time, gems do emerge - patience, hope and ironically, an emerging connection with our Abba Father. 

The result is, deep character!

There is a richness of spirit that only suffering provides. It's the big payoff for all the hard work, a surprising and deeply satisfying reward. And an abiding peace emerges, becoming a permanent character trait. 

So the blue becomes as wide as the sky and as deep as the ocean. And our song itself changes within our hearts, from a self-centered complaint to authentic worship.

Romans 5:3-4 MSG
"There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next."

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.

Joyous Lament | A Look into Joyous Lamenting

It seems to me we humans are practically geniuses when it comes to avoiding pain, sorrow or suffering. Some of us seek out drugs, alcohol, food or sex to avoid our pain and then run the risk of becoming addicted to our “drug of choice”.

But there are so many other, more subtle ways of avoiding pain that may go more easily unnoticed, until something in our lives breaks down and brings it all to our attention or to the attention of our friends and family. One of these things might be working to the point of neglecting everything else, a condition known as “workaholism”. One way might be buying things, a condition we could call “shopping therapy”. Another might be sports and games which we move toward whenever we have free time. And one very common way we try to avoid pain is by denying it altogether! This may be the most subtle of all our tactics. It’s a bit of a mental game we play which can pose as a very spiritual practice. 

We Christians are especially good at this one. When we are hurting, we’ve learned to say “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m fine.” Quickly turning from the suffering or pain, we jump ahead to the declarations, “God is good! I have faith! I’m not really sick or hurt or grieving or lonely or angry, etc.”

It seems to me that while we certainly do want to claim God’s power to heal, His goodness and our faith in Him, we would do well to first acknowledge the truth of the matter and submit to what our bodies and souls are trying to tell us! My wife used to say, “Our bodies never lie.” I think she was so right about that. What is that tightness around our shoulders really about? What is that gnawing sensation in our stomachs really trying to tell us? Why am I sweating when it’s not hot out? Why do I look the other way when I see a troubling scene? The answer is not always obvious and sometimes we might not get an answer until after the fact, but at the very least we can tell God about it!

This is where some of God’s people can help us. The people who wrote the Psalms understood very well the importance of being honest with God. They understood that God was OK with our honesty. Didn’t Jesus say, “The truth will set us free?” I think one of my favorite examples of honesty in the Bible is from the writer of Lamentations 3:19-24:

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me.

Only then does the writer say:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.” 

This is such a good example to me of the importance of being open and honest with God, while still remembering His goodness, love, faithfulness and power to work in our lives. And the result of this is a kind of deep joy and peace. This is why we can call our troubles “joyous lamenting”. 

One practice I’ve been taught for helping me not avoid my negative feelings is called the Welcoming Prayer. It’s simply that when we recognize fear, hurt, grief, anger or any hard or negative feeling, we don’t push it out of our consciousness and seek some kind of salve to dull it. Instead, we acknowledge it and then say “Welcome, grief! Welcome, anger! Welcome, hurt!” We welcome it into our deepest soul, where then God can deal with it and show us how best to deal with it. 

I know this Welcoming Prayer sounds a bit crazy:), but try it! You may just find yourself experiencing the healthy joy of the Lord sooner than you would have thought. The power of the negative feeling is overwhelmed and diminished, but not denied, knowing that God is actively involved… and He knows best how to work in any situation. This opens wide the door for “joyous lament”!

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About the Author

John lives in Pleasant Hill with his dog, Gunnar, and a multitude of guests who enjoy the peace and beauty of the Cascade foothills. With three children and three grandchildren all living in Oregon, he is continually blessed with their company and the good food that always accompanies their get-togethers!

Joyous Lament | The Beauty of Loss

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…

When the topic of lament came up as a possible theme for these blogs, my mind immediately went to this Ecclesiastes verse. There is a time for everything… even sadness. Then in 1 Corinthians 6:12, it says "All things are permissible for me" but not all things are helpful. "All things are permissible for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything.

Mark Twain said, "As an example to others, and not that I care for moderation myself, it has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain while awake. I never smoke more than one cigar at a time"

Obviously moderation can be subjective, although Twain might be proof we're not always the best judge of what moderation means for ourselves. If there is a time for everything, some questions arise: When is it the right time for what? How long shall we go on in any of these activities? When is it time to change from one thing to another? How many cigars SHOULD we smoke at once?

I first consider guilt. Guilt is evidence of our conscience or the Spirit speaking to us but it can also be used by the enemy to prevent us from personal growth and positive influence. Hopefully guilt brings us to make good decisions for ourselves and be rid of what brought us guilt before we are in real trouble. But if guilt persists long after we are redeemed it becomes shame and shame can become debilitating to us. The fear of God is the BEGINNING of wisdom but God's Love cast out all fear. We should not remain in guilt indefinitely.

Likewise, we mourn the passing of loved ones but to remain in mourning forever is something even our passed loved ones would not wish on us. There was a time for mourning. That time passes. The time to move on arrives.

We can lament different kinds of things. We can lament our actions. We can lament certain happenings in the world. We can lament the loss of something dear to us. We can lament the loss of a relationship. This lament I know all too well.

I had spent twenty years lamenting the loss of a relationship. In my grief and anger I sought to change myself into something more befitting to what that relationship required despite the impossibility of mending it. I began to read more. I began to think about things differently. The changes I made were beneficial to me. But my motivation for making these changes was unhealthy and it was eating away at me.

More accurately I learned it was not the lament of loss that was continuing to affect me but rather a hatred of myself, or who I used to be. How could I have been so foolish to have lost something so dear to me? But hate benefits no one.

A counselor advised I need to have compassion for that twenty year old version of myself whom I came to despise so much. I knew this was a way of saying I need to forgive myself. But I should have known better back then, right? I held myself to such a high standard! And the disgust I had for that twenty year old me was what turned me into something I rather liked now… or had it? Perhaps in all ways but one. I needed to let go of that grief and hatred of myself to truly be free. I knew in the present I was still tormenting myself. The time to move on was long overdue.

It took much retrospection to realize that what I endured, the changes I had put myself through, and who I am now had been directed by God from the start. The relationship I had lost was not good for me then, and it would have only become worse if allowed to continue. The lifestyle changes, despite being improperly motivated at the time, prepared me not for fixing the past but for facing the future. And now I find myself aptly placed and prepared to love the people around me in the ways they need. I find myself blessed beyond anything that past life would have been able to yield had I stayed that course. This all starts with moving on and being able to love myself.

Yes, the twenty year old me was ignorant and foolish. But we all were at some point. The process of every activity under heaven, for which there is a time, are the processes of learning and growth. We cannot remain stagnant or "be enslaved" at any point in the process or we begin to die or neglect those in our charge, be they family or acquaintance. Growth moves forward and blossoms and multiplies.

As the Master sculpts you, do not lament for long the loss of the bits and pieces that are gradually chipped away. What remains becomes more and more beautiful with every bit removed.

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About the Author

Christopher has worked as a children’s pastor and youth leader for several years and has published countless humor articles under the pseudonym Professor Popinjay. He studied biblical history and child psychology through Burean University and various other educational institutions. He enjoys writing, art, and the history of invention. He lives with his amazing wife Jessie and their six bizarre children, one of whom is a cat..