There are many experiences in life that prompt mixed emotions. Walking a daughter down the aisle can bring a father sadness and joy, nostalgia and pride. Dropping a child off at school for the first time—whether kindergarten or university—is a feelings’ factory for parents. Attending a Christian funeral both breaks the heart with grief and fills the heart with hope. These types of circumstances are beyond simple sentiment and spark a variety of simultaneous emotions to be recognized, understood, and managed. So it is as our church family begins to again re-gather after a time of forced separation. There is, all at once, relief, gratitude, joy, and cautious optimism. But there is also a gnawing cynicism, a deep fatigue, and a resigned helplessness. In other words, it’s a time of mixed emotions. What do we do with all of that? Are those appropriate reactions? How can we move forward in a way most pleasing to the Lord?
Key Passage: Psalm 126
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
