The Word 4 today/When you lose what you

[ladylovesJesus]

When you lose what you love

'When they walk through the Valley of Weeping...They will continue to grow ' PSALM 84:6-7

When you lose what you love you go through five stages:

1) Denial - 'No, it can't be happening.'

2) Anger - 'God, why are You permitting this?'

3) Bargaining - 'Please make it go away.'

4) Depression - Silence and withdrawal.

5) Acceptance - 'Not my will but Thine be done.' Whether it's the loss of a child, a marriage, a job, your health, etc when you turn to God He'll give you the grace to embrace it, grieve it, express it, release it, and go on to become stronger.

Sometimes we seek quick relief by releasing it before we've gone through these stages. That's because we fear the process. We've been taught that any show of emotion is a show of weakness, so we hide it. But we only stuff it into our emotional garbage can, then spend all our time and energy sitting on the lid, trying to keep the contents from spilling out. 'You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free' (John 8:32 NKJV). It's knowing and embracing the truth, including its painful aspects, that sets you free. You must be willing to forgive.

But until you come to grips with the enormity of your loss, including any injustice of what was done to you, you are not ready to forgive. When you rush to forgive, you forgive only in part and you're released only in part. Are you running from pain today? Are you trading it in prematurely for some other feeling? That's not God's way. Jesus said, 'You will weep and mourn...but [eventually] your grief will turn to joy...and no one will take [it] away' (John 16:20-22 NIV).

written by Bob Gass

 

[rizen1]

This was for me, I must admit I wear mask sometimes because I've been told any sign of emotions is a sign of weakness.

And I can testify, even though you sit on the lid thinking you have complete control of everything, its going to spill out some day.

Yes, these stages sound scary, I usually skip 2 , 3, and go straight to 4 or 5.

Running from pain is not healthy at all. When all is ready to spill, you can find yourself in serious depression or anxiety.

I hope others are blessed by this as much as I was.

Great post sister.