We are tempted by nearly every current of culture to form our lives so that there is no time for grief, but only the dim hum of consumption, dulling our agony—but, with it, our joy, wonder, and longing. The Psalms call us back into the dramatic depths of reality.

When something tragic happens, you should be there with that pain, feeling that sadness. When something unjust happens, you should feel how aggravating it is. And then, after you’ve sat with those feelings for the appropriate amount of time—and it could be an hour, or a day, or months, depending on the severity of what happened—then, you can go

1. Suffering doesn’t block awakening, it catalyzes it. Most people don’t begin their spiritual path because everything is fine. It’s suffering that cracks the surface of the self, but only when we turn toward it with open-heartedness and support does it become the doorway to transcendence. Trauma and revelation aren’t