Gratitude: Embracing Grief and Grace in God’s Presence with Drew Hyun

Do we need to deny our grief in order to be grateful? And what does practicing gratitude look like when we are suffering and in need?

In this episode of The Digital Examen’s special five-part miniseries, host Jay Y. Kim sits down with Drew Hyun to reflect on how gratitude and grief are both essential and inseparable in our spiritual journey. Hyun is the Founder and Lead Pastor of Hope Church NYC, the author of Beautiful, Disappointing, Hopeful: How Gratitude, Grief, and Grace Reflect the Christian Story, and the Executive Director of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, an organization that aims to transform church culture through the multiplication of deeply changed pastors and leaders.

Hyun shares how his story—from early family dynamics, learning emotional health from trusted mentors, and decades of ministry experience—has taught him what gratitude truly means. In this candid conversation, Hyun shares wisdom from his own seasons of depression and struggle, explores how the ancient practice of the Examen helps us “explore the iceberg” of our inner lives, and explains why gratitude is not escapism but a practice that befriends suffering and is open to God’s grace.

If you want to learn how gratitude can both embrace grief and move us towards hope, this conversation is for you.

For more encouragement and practical wisdom on living at God’s peaceful pace, be sure to check out Jay Y. Kim’s upcoming book, The Pace of Peace. Its themes continue the journey begun in this episode, offering a framework for rediscovering attention and presence in a world of distraction.

This episode highlights the following themes:

Why gratitude and grief go hand in handHow to name cynicism and move toward hopePractices that ground us in God’s presence, especially in sufferingLinks from this episode:

Learn more about Drew HyunRead Beautiful, Disappointing, Hopeful by Drew HyunRead Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter ScazzeroRead the transcript hereLearn more about The Digital ExamenLearn more about your host, Jay Y. KimListen to Meditations from The Digital ExamenDownload a Guide to The ExamenContinue attuning to God’s pace by reading Jay Y. Kim’s new book, The Pace of Peace. Drawing on the Prayer of Examen developed by Ignatius of Loyola as a framework for all of life, Kim guides readers through the movements of this ancient prayer practice—invitation, gratitude, reflection, confession, and looking forward—to point us toward the antidotes for the aches of our distracted age.

Credits:

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPEXAMEN40 for 40% off and free shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅ Consulting Producer: Helen Lee

✅ Producers: Christine Pelliccio Melo and Travis Albritton