Kate Bowler is one of my favorite writers. In a recent post she quotes Wendell Berry (another favorite) – “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.”
And then Bowler writes, “How might we loosen our grip on the painful stories that still grieve us?” And her answer – “…release them because you are tired of carrying them.” The goal is modest and quite practical: to stop reflexively retelling the story every time their name comes up, to feel one degree less pain when their photo surfaces on your iPhone unbidden, or when someone mentions that they
are the absolute BEST person. It is not amnesia. It is as Anne Lamott put it, “giving up all hope of having had a different or better past.”
So her prayer: God, enormous source of eternal love, who knows our deepest hurts, we were really, really hoping this would be different than this. Frankly, we’re not thrilled. But you offer us the ability to bless our own lives, to see them in all of their beauty, pain, and complexity. So give us a blessing to hand to (insert name), even if we don’t necessarily feel it yet.
God bless (person who deeply hurt us).
Give it a try.
Brave Journey,
Bill
