Free Write Friday: Write an Easter lament (yes, at first glance, that seems like an oxymoron). There are lots of laments, and lots of Easter blessings, but not a lot of Easter laments. It's as if we're afraid to acknowledge the hard things in a season that *should* be all celebration. But we all know it's not that easy. There IS reason for celebration, and this season is a time to particularly lean into that (even, perhaps, when we're not "feeling it"). But this focus can sometimes leave those who are struggling in this season feeling isolated, when they just can't muster the "joy" they feel is expected; when their realities are full of grief or other embodied experiences that reflect a harder side of life in this world. So, as a way to lean into the both/and today, we invite you to write an Easter lament. It may include delight and trust as well (the lament psalms often make that turn, even in the same stanzas as their complaint!), but let it name the real "stuff" in your experience right now. What are the questions you are asking God, the longings that seem to be unmet, still? Name the hard. Name the good in the midst of it. Let this lament be your Easter prayer (And share yours with us! Seeing others' expressions can make us feel so much less alone, can't it?).

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2023-04-14 20:30:28 UTC