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- Apr 25, 2006
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Good grief (2)
'A time to gain, and a time to lose.' Ecclesiastes 3:6
Grief can come in all shapes and sizes. Ruth teaches us that grief can be saying goodbye to people we love: 'She kissed them goodbye, and they all broke down and wept' (Ruth 1:9).
Nehemiah teaches us that grief is seeing pain and need: 'The king asked me, "why are you looking so sad?"... I replied, "... the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire". (Nehemiah 2:2-3).
Jesus understands that grief can mean death: 'Lazarus had died...then Jesus wept.' (John 11:13, 35).
Losing a job, living with a disability, divorce, even taking ill, can all bring on grief. It's important we don't just grit our teeth and try to get on with it. Grief 'buried' is unfinished business. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress can all appear further on up the road if we don't deal with them through grief.
Mourning is the work of grief. Ecclesiastes says, 'There is a time to mourn', That means God intends us to have a time to wrestle with all our pain and feelings. You grieve because you have lost something very precious to you.
Grieving is a way of honouring what was meaningful to you. It's an important part of your healing because it allows you to release the emotional pressure you're carrying. Whatever you're carrying, you're promised: 'you'll find God right there. If you're kicked in the gut, He'll help you catch your breath' (Psalm 34:18 TM).
written by Bob Gass
'A time to gain, and a time to lose.' Ecclesiastes 3:6
Grief can come in all shapes and sizes. Ruth teaches us that grief can be saying goodbye to people we love: 'She kissed them goodbye, and they all broke down and wept' (Ruth 1:9).
Nehemiah teaches us that grief is seeing pain and need: 'The king asked me, "why are you looking so sad?"... I replied, "... the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire". (Nehemiah 2:2-3).
Jesus understands that grief can mean death: 'Lazarus had died...then Jesus wept.' (John 11:13, 35).
Losing a job, living with a disability, divorce, even taking ill, can all bring on grief. It's important we don't just grit our teeth and try to get on with it. Grief 'buried' is unfinished business. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress can all appear further on up the road if we don't deal with them through grief.
Mourning is the work of grief. Ecclesiastes says, 'There is a time to mourn', That means God intends us to have a time to wrestle with all our pain and feelings. You grieve because you have lost something very precious to you.
Grieving is a way of honouring what was meaningful to you. It's an important part of your healing because it allows you to release the emotional pressure you're carrying. Whatever you're carrying, you're promised: 'you'll find God right there. If you're kicked in the gut, He'll help you catch your breath' (Psalm 34:18 TM).
written by Bob Gass
