frustration and cynicism
Along the same lines as both my previous post entitled "We Delight to Praise" and my friend Kristin's post (we've been discussing this topic), I want to say that I think often in our delight of praising something, we are disillusioned, whether by unrealistic expectations that we have set up, or by the state of brokenness of this world and someone's selfish sinfulness interferes, or by the fact that our delight is never complete, no matter how much we desire, work, struggle, praise, enjoy, and are satisfied.It's never enough.
Nothing ever satisfies fully.
And so disillusionment turns to frustration, frustration to cynicism, cynicism to bitterness.
And we're left empty.
Of course the ultimate answer is Christ and "Heaven" - for we were made "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" and "our hearts are not at rest till they find their rest in Him." But perhaps the answer, for now, is within Lewis's concept of praising that we combat the cycle of emptiness in the present, in the midst of this battle for our hearts.
What would happen if we let loose, despite old hurts and past experiences, despite what others might think or do, despite the broken mess of this world, or to spite the brokenness? What if we praised those things and people and the God we love? What if we didn't hold back in fear of pain? Yes, it's a risk for more pain, but what if it became so pleasurable to simply praise that the pain didn't matter anymore? In a holy and pure sense, the pleasure of praise overshadows the paralyzing cynicism.
Or at least it should. Why do we seem to get more delight in cynicism than praise? Or maybe it's not delight, but habit or default. How can we cultivate praise from our lips?
posted by FaithChristine @ 16:44
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