Paradox in Missions: When Joy and Sorrow Coexist
The idea of paradox, confusing as it is for adults, can easily escape the understanding of children and teens. Oxford Reference defines paradox as “a statement or proposition that, despite sound reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.”
At MTI, we use a pair of rubber ducks to lend a bit of clarity to the concept of paradox. There is a “yay” duck and a “yuck” duck, together forming a “pair of ducks”, or a “paradox”. You cannot have one without the other, though one may lead while the other swims behind. The missionary life is filled with paradox - you cannot have hellos without goodbyes; you may be leaving your missionary family to return to your blood family; perhaps you have experienced multitudes of hurt, and out of that, you have known the love of a Savior as you have never experienced. Paradox.
This visual method of communicating paradox is generally understood well by kids. We integrate this way of thinking into our programs so the younger children can identify the yays and yucks of life. Our trainers are often approached by parents who are amazed by how their young children are eager to discuss such challenging topics after class every day.
As the kids get older, we press a bit more into the complexity of paradox. The teens in our programs can generally acknowledge how paradox has been a theme in their lives. In a recent Debriefing and Renewal (DAR) program, an incredibly gifted 15-year-old girl wrote the following poem, lending her voice to paradox.
How can one moment
Feel such a spectrum?
How can one feel such joy,
Yet at once be laced with sorrow?
Wonderful, incredible moments
Are just that –
Moments,
Seconds in Time
Amazing –
Then lost to the past forever,
Destined to be only a memory.
Bittersweet
Such moments can feel,
When hope and hurt meet,
When joy and sorrow swirl.
How I wish I could remain
In those pleasant moments forever
They will always be bittersweet.
Feeling the treasure,
But knowing it cannot last.
Yet always cherishing those moments
Until the end of time.
How I look forward to the day
When joy will last forever,
When precious moments will never end,
When Christ will come to reign.
And I will never have to say goodbye
To moments of such bliss,
For peace will be for eternity.
The bitter will leave,
And the sweet will last.
What a beautiful gift to serve kids who truly understand what it’s like to experience “when hope and hurt meet, when joy and sorrow swirl.” They’ve known the thrill of time spent in the company of dear friends, and the loneliness of years that go by without seeing those same friends. They recognize the beauty of a simple meal that comes through great sacrifice from someone who has very little. And most of all, they know that when Christ returns, the yay will forevermore last, and the yuck will forevermore fade away.