Day Seventy Five: Letting Grief Surface
Things are very slowly starting to get back to normal. I am still grieving over what our country has become over the past two months. I tried unsuccessfully to keep my grief bottled up as I went through these very radical changes. In some ways I am still numb. The changes that happened are too much for me to process.
When I focus on God though, the grief lessens. Psalms 23 is an affirmation that God has my back. In verse one it states: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." I've seen his provision in my life. He knows my needs before I voice them, yet he longs for us to ask him for help and guidance. Verse two calms my spirit. It reads: "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside still waters." My mind is filled with a beautiful meadow with a stream running through it. Verse three tells me that "he restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." The Lord will never lead you down a wrong path, but we often do stray from his path.
Verse four is the most cited verse in the bible, as it has been read at many funeral services. Right now some of us are walking through that dark valley described in this verse. The assurance that God is with us should comfort us during this time. Here's the verse:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." When you are going through the grief process, like many of us are, you begin to cherish the fact that God is right there in the midst. You shouldn't be afraid of letting grief surface. You are not crazy.
Verse Five strikes home for me. Natural feelings of hate and animosity flourish against my enemies. The natural response to them is avoidance, not fellowship. Yet when I read this verse again, it isn't selfish motivation that drives someone to invite their enemies to dinner. It is actually looking at the situation at a different angle and from a different viewpoint. I admittedly still grapple with this concept because it is a supernatural response that looks past the evil actions and extends the hand of grace. It is not in my power to do this. It reads: "Thou (God) preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over." Believe me...I know it is very hard to take the high road and not give in to the bitterness. Yet it is the best thing to do. When you do this, then you will experience a great lifting of your spirit.
I can rejoice because I know that "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23(KJV) It is good to know that "the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalms 34:18(KJV) It is when you are broken and feeling as if your world has ended, that the Lord fills your heart with his love. Bottling up grief and soldiering on like nothing has happened is not good for your physical, mental and spiritual health. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3(KJV). I've experienced this first hand. I needed to be broken. It was unpleasant, but necessary. This nation and the world has been broken these past two months, yet God has shown himself in a mighty way for those who can see and hear.
We tend to be impatient. I admit that I am guilty of this. Yet in Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 we read: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time for peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." Let's put this in modern lingo....Every thing has a time and a purpose under heaven. God rules and sets the world in motion. We can't run ahead of God or change what has already be foreordained in the heavens. He wants people to live their lives and be happy in his creation.
In Matthew 5:4 it reads "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." (KJV). Yes, joy does come when you allow yourself to mourn. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (KJV) offers these words: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." You may want to hide your grief thinking that no one will understand it. Yet you should know that going it alone only leads to more heartache. "Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you" is the best way to alleviate the grief.
It does look like some of the churches will start to open their doors within the next week or so. These are the churches that haven't been open since March 15th, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
When I focus on God though, the grief lessens. Psalms 23 is an affirmation that God has my back. In verse one it states: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." I've seen his provision in my life. He knows my needs before I voice them, yet he longs for us to ask him for help and guidance. Verse two calms my spirit. It reads: "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside still waters." My mind is filled with a beautiful meadow with a stream running through it. Verse three tells me that "he restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." The Lord will never lead you down a wrong path, but we often do stray from his path.
Verse four is the most cited verse in the bible, as it has been read at many funeral services. Right now some of us are walking through that dark valley described in this verse. The assurance that God is with us should comfort us during this time. Here's the verse:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." When you are going through the grief process, like many of us are, you begin to cherish the fact that God is right there in the midst. You shouldn't be afraid of letting grief surface. You are not crazy.
Verse Five strikes home for me. Natural feelings of hate and animosity flourish against my enemies. The natural response to them is avoidance, not fellowship. Yet when I read this verse again, it isn't selfish motivation that drives someone to invite their enemies to dinner. It is actually looking at the situation at a different angle and from a different viewpoint. I admittedly still grapple with this concept because it is a supernatural response that looks past the evil actions and extends the hand of grace. It is not in my power to do this. It reads: "Thou (God) preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over." Believe me...I know it is very hard to take the high road and not give in to the bitterness. Yet it is the best thing to do. When you do this, then you will experience a great lifting of your spirit.
I can rejoice because I know that "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23(KJV) It is good to know that "the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Psalms 34:18(KJV) It is when you are broken and feeling as if your world has ended, that the Lord fills your heart with his love. Bottling up grief and soldiering on like nothing has happened is not good for your physical, mental and spiritual health. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3(KJV). I've experienced this first hand. I needed to be broken. It was unpleasant, but necessary. This nation and the world has been broken these past two months, yet God has shown himself in a mighty way for those who can see and hear.
We tend to be impatient. I admit that I am guilty of this. Yet in Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 we read: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time for peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." Let's put this in modern lingo....Every thing has a time and a purpose under heaven. God rules and sets the world in motion. We can't run ahead of God or change what has already be foreordained in the heavens. He wants people to live their lives and be happy in his creation.
In Matthew 5:4 it reads "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." (KJV). Yes, joy does come when you allow yourself to mourn. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (KJV) offers these words: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." You may want to hide your grief thinking that no one will understand it. Yet you should know that going it alone only leads to more heartache. "Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you" is the best way to alleviate the grief.
It does look like some of the churches will start to open their doors within the next week or so. These are the churches that haven't been open since March 15th, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Comments
Post a Comment