I know you’ve had more than your fair share of suffering too, Jennifer. I’m glad it’s made you more compassionate instead of bitter. I’ve seen it happen in either direction with people.

I agree, Lory–it’s often harder to stay put, to feel our own feelings, and easier to escape into someone else’s things. As I try to work through my extra hard feelings the past few months, it’s been a real struggle to acknowledge, label, and feel them. Sometimes I do okay with it and other times I get stuck in confusion.

Carla, I love that mantra you use from your mother about not denying our own grief. Yes! And I also totally agree that there are two sides to pride. We often miss that second side and count it as humility. Which it can be if it’s authentic. Sometimes it may be; sometimes not. Thanks for these insights.

On another level, this issue of downplaying one’s suffering can be a subtle form of pride. I’ve come to believe there are two sides to the coin of pride. One side is the usual “I’m more”; it’s the puffed up version we usually think of when we think of pride. But the other side is “I’m less” or living from a place of shame. In both cases, one is not being true to oneself. The antidote to pride is Authenticity – or as mentioned in your post, acknowledging one’s own suffering. We go THROUGH our suffering (not avoid it) SO THAT we can offer comfort to others as God has comforted us.

Thanks for a great post.

Yes, there’s definitely a time and place to share our grievances. Thankfully we don’t have to hold back with God about any of it.

You’re welcome, Shannon. Thanks for writing down your thoughts (well, typing them up) and sharing them on your blog and then at our linkup! We all can benefit by it.

Indeed. I was reading just this morning in Kate Bowler’s devotional “Good Enough” about the Tragedy Olympics. I love what she said:

“When people enter the Tragedy Olympics, they don’t always realize that it’s not actually a game. It’s just life, and we are all, for better or worse, players who need each other more than we need an award.”

Exactly, Jerralea. If even the sparrows catch God’s eye, we can rest assured that our problems, whatever their size, also go noticed. May we be more like God.