Dealing with deep disappointment

You can find a really helpful sermon here.  There aren’t many sermons that are specific to disability.  This is one of the best.  It’s by an American pastor called John Piper.  Please take some time to listen to it.  You might want to do so in a few sittings.

The thrust of the sermon is that the Christian does not experience sorrow and joy sequentially in life but that the two are always present in our lives.  We experience them simultaneously.

At first glance that might seem less good but actually it lifts an incredible burden from our expectations about life.  The Christian can be honest about suffering and pain but can also find hope.

These are wonderful truths. Here are his five applications at the end.

  1. If you experience this paradox of emotions (sorrowful yet always rejoicing) you will never have to pretend. Your sorrow will be real. And your joy will be real. You won’t ever have to be ashamed of saying, “I am very sad,” because it will not contradict, “I am very glad.”
  2. If you experience this paradox of emotions (sorrowful, yet always rejoicing), you will be able to bear the weight of sorrow that is inevitable in a world of so much sin and brokenness. The joy you know, in the very moment of heavy sorrow, will keep that sorrow from crushing you. It doesn’t make your sorrow less weighty. But it does make your sorrow less destructive.
  3. If you experience this paradox of emotions (sorrowful, yet always rejoicing), your sorrow will not ruin the joy of others, and your joy will not offend the sorrow of others.
  4. If you experience this paradox of emotions (sorrowful, yet always rejoicing), the ministries of your church will be free from silliness and trifling, and will have the aroma of Christ, with his wonderful paradoxes.
  5. If you experience this paradox of emotions (sorrowful, yet always rejoicing), the beauty and worth of Christ will always be exalted.