Tuesday, August 29, 2017

A Glimmer in Grief


Have you ever found yourself in a situation where there are no words? You hear news that completely stops you in your tracks, and there is absolutely nothing you could say that would make it better. Nothing that would encourage. Nothing that would change a thing, because the pain is too deep.

I had a situation like this last week when I found out that a family whom I have learned so much from and admire greatly lost their young child very suddenly and unexpectedly.  I'm not here to write something that is intended to attempt to make you feel happy right now, because honestly,  I don't think even the nicest, sweetest, most heartfelt words could make anyone feel better in this situation. Nor do I feel particularly "qualified" to encourage someone in this situation, as I myself have never experienced the sort of pain that comes with the loss of a child. My stomach is in knots thinking about her parents and sweet siblings whose lives will forever be changed. 

Still, I found myself pondering the situation and asking the question that we all seem to ask: 

"Why? Why someone so innocent, so young, with such a passion for life? Why were they taken so quickly? Why were her years cut short?"

As I was asking these questions, the Holy Spirit immediately comforted me with this thought:

"The pain this family is experiencing right now is giving them a tiny tiny glimpse of the pain I experienced when I, too, lost a child...."

Thankfully, many people don't experience the intense pain of losing a child in this life. I can only imagine that is is one of the hardest losses a person could go through. While I certainly never wish it upon anyone and I pray I never have to experience it myself, I believe there is something incredibly comforting to those who experience this when they realize that God the Father experienced the same thing. It gives them another way which they can relate to the Lord, and connect with Him on a deeper level. 

When God the Father sent Jesus, His ONLY Son, to be crucified and killed- sacrificed for a people that rejected Him- God felt the loss of a child. Jesus was innocent, completely guilt-free, and did not deserve death. Even though God knew that He would see Jesus again, He still experienced that pain of separation, that deep, deep, darkness and grief.

So, dear family who is experiencing grief beyond my own comprehension, 

I do want to encourage you in this, not based on my words, but rather in pointing you to the one who experienced the ultimate grief. I do not at all want to undermine the grief you are experiencing and the sheer darkness you feel right now. But know this: The Father knows the pain you are feeling, because He's experienced it too. I pray that you will cling to Him and Him alone in this time, as that is where your hope lies. He will carry you, and He will never let you down. Ever.

To the rest of us, 

Let us pray. Hard. Because sometimes that is the only thing we can do.


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