Bittersweet: Joy During Pain.

“Bittersweet” indicates the odd mix of pain and joy. The death of a loved one may be bitter, but if death follows a long illness, the grieving sometimes consider it sweet that the suffering is over. 

God can bring sweet satisfaction during suffering.  Just ask the persecuted. They sometimes experience an intimacy with God they might never have known otherwise.  Sometimes God is so merciful.

In the Psalms, David complained about his many problems, but he always seemed to find something positive too, a silver lining.  Can you do that?  I find that—like David—WRITING ABOUT PROBLEMS forces me to find a positive way to look at things.  Here are some lines David wrote while he was in the middle of great suffering.  The first is a verse that reminds me of the quarantine we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic:

“May the Lord be praised, for He has wonderfully shown His faithful love to me in a city under siege” Psalm 31:21.

Others:

“I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears” Ps. 34:4.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him” Ps. 34:8

“The Lord is near the brokenhearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all” Ps. 34:18-19.

“I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God. I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever” Ps. 52:8.

When I began writing in a journal as a young man, complaining about each day’s problems, I ended up giving myself good advice and finding a positive way to look at those problems—probably because the act of putting my thoughts down on paper made me embarrassed that someone might read it and see me handling things badly.  (My fear of appearing self-pitying may seem a poor motive for making good choices–but it worked!) Good choices are always worth it. Journaling helped me to be more like David, finding a positive way to look at my problems. I recommend it!

God, remind us every day to find something good in every problem.

ΑΩ