Joy. Sadness. Two powerful emotions. And although they are quite different, sometimes they show up together.
Recently I was reading of when the Jews returned to their homeland from their exile in Babylon. Upon arriving, one of the first things they did was start rebuilding their temple. As they began to lay the foundation, there was a tangible excitement in the air. People began to celebrate. Joy was present.
And so was sadness.
But many of the…old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping…
–Ezra 3:12-13
Yes, there was great joy. But there was also great sadness. Some of them remembered how things use to be—what they once had, and what they had lost. In one moment, people were experiencing both emotions, and it was hard for those listening to distinguish between the two.
And just as that group experienced simultaneous joy and sadness corporately, we as individuals might also experience a mixture of these two emotions from time to time. Perhaps there’s deep joy, but at the same time there’s a sense of sadness. Or there’s sadness, but still a sense of joy. Although they’re different emotions, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
But if we’re not careful, we may feel like they need to be. If we’re filled with joy, we might think we shouldn’t feel any sadness, and refuse to admit that it’s there. Or if we’re sad, we may not be able to accept that we might be able to also experience joy in the midst of that sadness.
Of course, joy and sadness don’t have to be experienced simultaneously. But they might be from time to time. And on those occasions when they do show up together, it’s OK to embrace them both.