Paradox, pt. 2

...continued from yesterday.

Many of you will definitely resist these thoughts. "But God does not want us to dwell in our suffering," you may say.

And I would probably agree with you. But what if, instead of dwelling in the suffering, we allowed the despair to have "presence."

Joy and suffering are always present in our lives; it's only a matter of the degree to which we recognize them.

Think about it this way. The cross is necessary because this world is full of crap. We have all suffered (even if we want to immediately turn it in to a positive or quickly chalk it up as a lesson from God). We've lost loved ones. We've felt hungry. Jokes have been made at our expense. Not to mention the violence we've inflicted upon others. I lose my temper. I ignore my wife. I don't return the phone call of a friend.

The need for the cross is present everyday.

Yet, we also live with the reality of the resurrection. We have loved and we have felt loved. There is goodness in each of us.

Dignity and depravity. The cross and the resurrection. Joy and Suffering.

These paradoxes are all present everyday; if only I could become more accutely aware...