Mourning and Dancing

So we're looking at some of the verses in the Bible that talk about times - a time for this, a time for that. And we put a little emphasis on it with a verse from Jeremiah that echoes the same sort of sentiment. Our starting point for verses like these always tends to be acceptance of the seasons of our own lives, but I argue that they are more than that - they are things that we're supposed to be intentional about creating, as well. 

And that's where we're running into a bit of a problem. 

In my experience, most Christians are not doing a great job of creating this sort of balance in their lives and in the lives of those around them. Rather, most Christians tend to fall very decidedly into one column or the other.

We have among us, for example, those who are really good at mourning. At destroying. At uprooting. At ruining. At tearing down. You know these persons - they come tearing through their life and the lives of others like a tornado, and they do so bearing God's name, making some kind of statement that God is definitely in the wind and the earthquake, in case you missed that in the story of Elijah. 

This is their default. It's what they naturally do. They are complainers and grumblers and generally miserable folks, all the while claiming that God has made them to be this way. After all, doesn't His Word say there is exactly a time for such as this?

It does, but it doesn't say that's all the time.

On the other hand, we also have among us those who are really good at dancing. At planting. At rejoicing. At building up. You know these persons - there has never been a single cloud in their sky and nothing wipes the smile off their face. And they live with joy bearing God's name, making some kind of statement that God is sunshine and rainbows and that sadness is some kind of lack of faith in the goodness of the Holy One. 

This is their default. It's what they naturally do. They are encouragers and generally chipper folks, all the while claiming that God has made them to be this way. After all, doesn't His Word say that there is exactly a time for such as this?

Again, it does, but it doesn't say that's all the time.

And this presents an incredible challenge for all of us. We have encouragers and we have grumblers, and we don't seem to have a whole lot of persons who can even live authentically the seasons God puts in our lives, let alone help to create them. So we have a God who is either miserable or naive, and we tell the world that's who He is, and...it's just a mess.

They both say that God created them this way, but that's just a cop-out. The truth is that God created all of us for both - joy and sorrow, mourning and dancing, building up and tearing down, planting and destroying. That's the truth of what His Word says. 

So...how do we get better at that?