A treasured sorrow is a life experience that held both grief and joy. It included pain, challenges, hurt, loss, or grief; yet as we look back on it, we also treasure the experience we went through because of what we learned and who we became in the process. While the experience was painful to live through, we know the growth we experienced, the reliance on God we now have, and the new awareness we have about ourselves—awareness we wouldn’t have had we not gone through that hard experience.
There are a handful of events in my life I can now name as treasured sorrows. While I would rather not relive those moments of loss and pain, I know that they changed me in a profound way, so I treasure the lessons I learned.
Because of my treasured sorrows, I am more aware of what others experience. The utter dependency on God during these times grew strong roots of faith that still strengthen me today. I cherish the people I met and the relationships that deepened as we walked the difficult experience together. I know that the tools of my faith offer support and guidance because I leaned on them as I walked the challenging journey.
Our treasured sorrows can be our wise teachers, much as Jesus’ treasured sorrow taught the world about walking through suffering in hope. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can sift through our experiences and name the sorrows and the treasures. Then, as Ignatian spirituality teaches us, we can offer these experiences to God to be transformed and used by God for the good of others.
Becky Eldredge is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and the author of Busy Lives & Restless Souls. Learn more at BeckyEldredge.com or on Facebook and Instagram. Portions of these devotions are adapted or excerpted from Busy Lives & Restless Souls (Loyola Press, 2017) © Becky Eldredge, used by permission.
