With Easter and stories of new life and resurrection on our minds, I wanted to explore a side of Easter that I’ve never heard discussed before.
I saw a comment on facebook from a friend of mine that said:
“Sick. Depressed. More than I can handle”.
Without having context to that comment, it got me to thinking. How many of us have felt that way at one time or another? It sucks. Sometimes life gets sucked out and so it just sucks. Lack of health sucks. Trying to keep a smile on sucks. Having a person/pet you love die sucks. Getting out of bed sucks. Watching people just not ‘get it’ sucks. Not being able to do anything about it sucks. Not having energy sucks. About the only things that don’t suck at times might include:
1. the love and kindness of a spouse who cares/close family who will listen and not judge
2. soft organic flannel sheets
3. Hyberbole and a half dark humor
I wonder if sometimes ‘hitting bottom’ might possibly be compared to a place like Christ in the tomb: cold, dark, quiet, a suspended life. And that’s OK. It’s OK to be buried for awhile. In fact, maybe that’s part of the Easter Story? Maybe instead of rushing to the resurrection, maybe it’s OK to be in the tomb? Maybe it’s not a ‘fault’ to be in the tomb? Maybe it’s just part of a – can I say it – healthy life to be in the tomb? Even if we don’t know how long it will last? Especially if we don’t know how long it will last?
Yes, resurrection does come, and we celebrate that, but maybe there is also a place to respect the times in our lives that represent tombs? Why do we fear the cold, dark, quiet, suspended times? Is it because in American culture those are seen as ‘weak’, or ‘useless’, or ‘bad’, or ‘unproductive’…and we feel shamed for them? What would happen if those times of depression/grief, or “tomb-time”, had a different, purposeful meaning in our culture? Do other cultures have a place of respect for those times in a person’s life?
How can we incorporate a safe, honorable, and healthy place for those -including ourselves – who are experiencing tomb-time? If we had a different perspective, maybe we wouldn’t feel the cultural need to deny, try to cheer-lead it away, or shame it? Maybe tomb-time is an important part of a healthy life?
Some possible resources: the book Tear Soup , online helps from Tear Soup.
Barb
