Don’t Be a Waster of Sorrows

Nine Ways Our Sorrows Can Lead to a Deeper Spiritual Life

Peter C. Wilcox

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781498207331
  9781498207355
• eBook ISBN:
  9781498207348
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

The well known Austrian poet and spiritual writer, Rainer Maria Rilke encouraged his young friend not to be a "waster of sorrows," but to use them in a positive way as a means to help him grow in holiness. And isn't this the challenge for all of us? Everyone has sorrows in life. The important question is: what can we do with them so that we don't waste them? Whether our sorrows are personal or communal, how can we share our mutual vulnerability so that we can connect with others in a way that leads to growth? For over thirty years as a psychotherapist and spiritual director, Peter C. Wilcox has listened to people's stories about their lives. Often, parts of their stories involve sorrows of one kind or another. Some people become overwhelmed by their sorrows while others have learned how to integrate them into their lives in a positive way. This book is an invitation to discover how we can learn to integrate our sorrows into our own lives so that we can grow psychologically and spiritually. It suggests nine ways that we can reflect on our sorrows to deepen our spiritual lives, so that as Rilke wrote to his friend, we don't "waste them."

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: It Is Not a Gentle World
• Chapter 2: The Importance of Grieving Our Sorrows
• Chapter 3: The Importance of Praying Our Sorrows
• Chapter 4: Our Sorrows Lead Us to Deeper Compassion
• Chapter 5: Our Sorrows Help Us Become a Blessing to Others
• Chapter 6: Our Sorrows Lead Us to Service
• Chapter 7: Our Sorrows Allow Us to Become “a Lap,” a Place of Refuge for Each Other
• Chapter 8: Pay Attention to the Wisdom of Our Sorrows
• Chapter 9: Our Sorrows Help Us to Live with Mystery
• Conclusion
• Bibliography