We said this series is all about becoming emotionally healthy so we can keep growing spiritually following after Jesus. We're using Psalm 139 as a statement of God's incredible design of YOU. His attention and awareness of you.

Quote: (Peter Scazzero - book: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality)
"You can not grow to be spiritually mature, if you remain emotionally immature”…emotional maturity and spiritual maturity are not the same thing, but they are each others’ ceiling.

Tonight, we look into the emotion of sadness. We don’t like discussing or thinking about sadness – the ramifications of it. But we ALL KNOW we live in a world where sadness dwells, but we try really hard to not notice it, push it aside, numb it or even ignore it.

SADNESS – often in the Bible can be pointed to as a LAMENT. We can easily see that in the Bible, we’re encouraged to “lean into Lament” (we don’t have to live always in it, but we can gain so much as we lean into it appropriately). Laments help us deal honestly with grief, loss, setbacks & disappointments.

We have the whole book of Lamentations in the Bible. Some scholars divide the Psalms into 3 categories:
• Orientation: the times when you feel like you belong with God and the world; you’re adjusted, content and filled with praise.
• Disorientation:(lament) the bottom falls out and you feel sad and lost and hurt; you wonder, Where is God and where am I going?
• Reorientation: you’ve been through the disorientation, the loss, the hurt, and now you’ve come through on the other side; you’re reoriented.

Laments bring our pain into God’s presence. And God has never turned away from someone who is truly coming before him and seeking him. God is not scared off by your pain. He's attentive because He loves you. An honest expression of our feelings towards God—keeps us connected with God. *The Book of Lamentations in the Bible is a people pouring out hurts, sorrows before God and in the middle rediscovering a beautiful reminder that His love still endures.

*one of the key differences between genuine lament and mere self-pity:
-Lament connects us to God and to God’s larger story. Even in confusion and bewilderment, we’re connected to Him.
-Self-pity shuts us up in our own little prison of pain; we isolate ourselves and we get stuck there, we begin shutting everyone out, even God. And we feel all alone.

Laments increase the amount of compassion in our hearts.
Peter Scazzero says, “The degree to which I learn to grieve my own losses is in direct proportion to the depth and quality of my relationship with God and the compassion I can offer others.”

*another crucial difference between lament and self-pity:
-Lament opens us up and connects us with other suffering people.
-Self-pity just makes us feel bad for ourselves and isolates us from others. Self-pity is just about me—my pain, my problems, my gripes.
*Lament says, “I hurt, but I see that you’re hurting too. So grab my hand and together let’s journey to the cross - to where Jesus is…He will understand our hurts. But he can also point us to the hope of resurrection.”

The Bible consists of 66 different books. These books are made up of 1,189 chapters, and these chapters are comprised of 31,173 verses.
The shortest verse in the Bible captures on of the biggest principles that God cares - in a mere two words.

These 2 words show us: God knows & God cares.
You can take your pain to God. *(don’t bury it, ignore it , try to numb it, or carry it alone – bring it to God.)
Jesus’ love is what can heal the human heart most and best.
Make it a pattern in your life to take your pain to God.

Make it a pattern in life to have safe people that can help you carry your pain. And be a safe person for others! We can’t be the cure for someone’s pain, but we can help ‘em carry their burdens. Practice mourning and comforting with one another.

I firmly believe that relationships, families, churches and society would be changed in radical ways - if we all would practice Romans 12:15.
Matthew 5:4 “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”
• Notice what Jesus doesn’t say: (blessed are those who “get over it, suck it up, forget about it, ignore it, numb it, etc.) It matters that we can bring our pain to God, He can provide healing best and most and he's challenged us to help carry one another's burdens and comfort one another.

Need Prayer? ....we've got some of our prayer team and pastors available following service to pray with you. Or you can text the word "prayer" to our phone number: #520-300-9001 to submit your prayer request to our prayer team to partner with you.