A Short Thought On Grieving and God's Comfort

 

Here is something I shared on my Facebook page and thought I'd post it here as well.

-------

Today marks one year since my dear mom went to be with the Lord. It feels like it shouldn't be that long yet, but in other ways it feels longer. She had started to leave by bits and pieces long before that because of the dementia that was stealing her away from us.

Grief is a strange, unpleasant thing that we struggle to deal with. Sometimes people say it is a normal part of life. I don't believe it is, and I think that is what makes it so hard for us to deal with it. God didn't intend for us to die and to deal with death. Mankind was not originally created to die. Did you ever think about that? It is not a natural part of life for us. It is unavoidable and predictable, but it hurts so much because it is part of the curse of sin, not one of the things we were created to deal with.

Adam and Eve sinned in eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but also failed to eat of the tree of life. I have wondered about that sometimes. Then God shut them out of the Garden of Eden so that they wouldn't eat of it and live forever in their sinful state (Gen. 3:22). He had a plan to give us eternal life, but the price had to be paid to make that possible.

1 Corinthians 15:26 says, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." People sometimes talk like it's a blessing or something to look forward to even. I understand why Christians say that because of the hope of heaven and rest, but I don't believe it is entirely biblical. Death is an enemy. The process of giving us the victory over it and the hope of the resurrection was complicated and extremely costly to Jesus Christ. And, that enemy is not destroyed yet. We still face it over and over, both in our own experience and just by living in this death filled world.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 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. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

Here is something to think about - We cannot learn to give others God's comfort unless we have been in need of it ourselves. So feeling the grief and letting God comfort us in it is part of His will for us now, because He intends for us to pass it on to other hurting people.

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.