Mountain of the Holy Cross & Piper's "Seasoned Soul"

One of my favorite paintings is Thomas Moran's "Mountain of the Holy Cross."  Painted in 1875, it captures a beauty that is both ragged and ethereal.  The point of view is from the valley, looking up.  It's a point of view we often have in life.  Read more about the landmark's history here.  See the painting here.

A constant tension in my life is the experience of God's blessing. Maybe you don't feel the same way, but when I'm living in the midsts of something great, I can't help but wonder, "What's next?" When I'm on the mountaintop,  there is a seed of sadness growing knowing that I'll soon be in the valley.

My wife, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.  I suppose that's why we're together. When she's on the mountaintop, she's on the mountaintop.  She's not worried about what tomorrow may bring.  We usually balance each other out.  

How do we reconcile the joys and sorrows of life?  How do we experience both appropriately?  John Piper writes of the "seasoned soul." It's a concept I've embraced. He writes, 

"...the seasoned soul in Christ has a steady joy and a steady sorrow. They protect each other. Joy is protected from being flippant by steady sorrow. Sorrow is protected from being fatal by steady joy."

Click here to read his application of Romans and Philippians to the concept.  It will take you three minutes and will change your life.  How is your soul seasoned?  Is your joy often tainted by the concern of what's next?