Life is not all blue skies and rainbows. Some days are dark and gloomy, and this too is okay. Our soul occasionally needs to marinate in the soil of melancholy in order for more life and beauty to emerge.
Some people can only tolerate the bright and happy moods of life. And certainly these are to be enjoyed.
But some days we’re bummed out and the last thing we need is to be cheered up.
God has given us a wide range of emotions, and we shortchange our growth when we only accept the ones that are happy and upbeat.
Like a tree, we need both the sunshine and the soil to grow.
The sun is bright and warm and it’s easy to bask in these experiences openly.
On the other hand, the soil is dark and damp, which disturbs the clean and tidy experience we often prefer. All the same, the soil is saturated with many nutrients we need to grow.
While not as pleasant as days of celebration, dark and gloomy days are still needed to enrich and deepen the soul. These days provide for the soul what the soil does for the tree.
And as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us:
Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.
We don’t want to get stuck in sorrow. But neither do we have to run from the sorrowful experiences of life – whether big or small.
We accept grief when a loved one dies. It’s good to accept the many ups and downs of everyday life as well – to relish good days and to honor also a day of feeling blue.
Enjoy the sun. But don’t neglect the richness found in the soil of melancholy.
Photo by Laith Abuabdu on Unsplash
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