Learning to Lament

October 12, 2011 by Enuma Okoro

Continued from Page 1

I think about my friend Sarah Jobe, a young woman with two beautiful little girls who found the necessary courage to speak aloud about the inherent challenge and difficulty that can come in the midst of spaces in which women are culturally conditioned to bask and delight. This year Sarah published, Creating with God: The Holy Confusing Blessedness of Pregnancy.

Of course we will not all write books; this just happens to be how these particular women felt called to give flesh to their experiences. The point is that when we name our sorrows aloud we are suggesting to one another what we consider communally important about the experiences of women. It is an act of solidarity and an attempt to reframe what the larger public and private narratives consider appropriate public discourse. And it is a faithful way of bringing all our selves before the God who heard the sorrows of biblical women like Hannah, Hagar, and Elizabeth.

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10/12/2011 4:00:00 AM

Progressive Christian

Cornering God

Grief

History

Lament

Miscarriage

Women

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About Enuma Okoro

Enuma Okoro (M.Div.) is the author of Reluctant Pilgrim: A Moody, Somewhat Self-Indulgent, Introvert's Search for Spiritual Community and co-author of Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. She is also a speaker, consultant and retreat/workshop leader. Visit her website at www.enumaokoro.com.

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