Managing the Emotions of Reassembling (Psalm 126)

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