I told an elder last night that maybe he shouldn't get that close to me. It seems that many of the people I love are suffering from death of loved ones. Personally I lost my Step-mother last October, Leah her grandfather in January, a sweet boy from Abilene died that we had committed to in prayer, friends of ours lost their parents in a tragic accident, and now my best friend has had a great loss of his own.
Death is basically a promise to all of us. Sometimes it follows a long journey and almost invited. Sometimes death comes unexpectedly and quickly, like a thief in the night. Sometimes death works like a boomerang where it seems to come, seems defeated, and then comes again to sew its roots of finality. Death is evident and as people who believe in God's promises we are told not to fear death because of the eternal reward we gain.
However, I don't fear death. I don't even fear the death of those whom I love the most. Sometimes I fear grief. Grief means that I am here to continue a journey without the ones I love. It pains me that as my journey continues, it continues with less on this earth. I say in funerals and memorials where I officiate that grief is an invention from God's imagination. And this is true. The pain of grief and mourning was created by God and given to us. It's not that He wants us to hurt. It's that He knows we feel and that by exploring all of our emotions we are not denying God or His presence, but leaning fully into Him.
As a professional minister I am suppose to have all the answers. I don't! I'm at a loss when others are experiencing deep, painful grief. Knowing the truth about God does not take away my pain, but at least my pain is experienced in a greater hope.
We will all experience our own grief and others' grief at some point. Not knowing what to say and do is extremely common...even for ministers. A preacher that I greatly admire, Mike Cope, has written several blog posts that share about grief. His daughter Megan died at a young age and his son Chris had a terrible car accident that nearly took his life many years later. He covers in this one blog post about things to say and not to say. Click here for that post. And check out his other posts on the topic of grief.
Please pray for my friend Jacob and his family as they mourn and grieve the loss of their son Ezra. As we continue on this journey and find grief along the way, may we surround one another with love and prayer and presence.
Death is basically a promise to all of us. Sometimes it follows a long journey and almost invited. Sometimes death comes unexpectedly and quickly, like a thief in the night. Sometimes death works like a boomerang where it seems to come, seems defeated, and then comes again to sew its roots of finality. Death is evident and as people who believe in God's promises we are told not to fear death because of the eternal reward we gain.
However, I don't fear death. I don't even fear the death of those whom I love the most. Sometimes I fear grief. Grief means that I am here to continue a journey without the ones I love. It pains me that as my journey continues, it continues with less on this earth. I say in funerals and memorials where I officiate that grief is an invention from God's imagination. And this is true. The pain of grief and mourning was created by God and given to us. It's not that He wants us to hurt. It's that He knows we feel and that by exploring all of our emotions we are not denying God or His presence, but leaning fully into Him.
As a professional minister I am suppose to have all the answers. I don't! I'm at a loss when others are experiencing deep, painful grief. Knowing the truth about God does not take away my pain, but at least my pain is experienced in a greater hope.
We will all experience our own grief and others' grief at some point. Not knowing what to say and do is extremely common...even for ministers. A preacher that I greatly admire, Mike Cope, has written several blog posts that share about grief. His daughter Megan died at a young age and his son Chris had a terrible car accident that nearly took his life many years later. He covers in this one blog post about things to say and not to say. Click here for that post. And check out his other posts on the topic of grief.
Please pray for my friend Jacob and his family as they mourn and grieve the loss of their son Ezra. As we continue on this journey and find grief along the way, may we surround one another with love and prayer and presence.
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