Some people are scared to die. I never was; I was just scared of being left alone. Have you ever wondered how pain and grief work after you are “born again?” I did. At first. You see, I have not known major loss because most of my relatives are so far away. A few relatives have passed, but for me my strongest loss was my first dog. I wasn’t expecting it and was not prepared. It happened all of a sudden, within the course of 24 hours. Happy and playful one day, sick and then gone from my life the next. And that coincided with another loss in my life that I talk about in my testimony, but that’s another story. Anyway, I went as far as to tell one of my aunts that if my dog wasn’t in heaven then I didn’t want to go there! Now, I think the opposite. That even if nobody I know and love is there, God is enough and I want to be where HE is because I love Him more. So much so that I at first wondered if that would affect how I feel about death. What would happen now?
We live in a broken world, full of pain and suffering because of sin. Often, like Paul, we find our hearts willing but our flesh weak and we too fall into sin. We too must pick up our cross daily and die to ourselves more and more each day so that Christ can live through us. Nobody is perfect though. And nobody is invincible. We’re all human and still vulnerable to this life’s ups and downs. However, Christians experience grief differently. In death, we still have a hope of eternal life and a trust in God that all things will work out for the best. When life strikes us down, we know that one day there will be no more pain and no more tears. While we live though, there will still be pain, trials, and tears. None of that false prosperity gospel or “name-it-and-claim-it” mumbo jumbo. Stuff happens and we deal with it as best we can. God is not our personal genie. Well, they say be careful what you wish for and maybe that’s applicable here. Not that I wished for anything, but they also say God works in mysterious ways. In double in case I doubted it? Within days or even a week or 2 of each other (I don’t remember exactly…), I got an answer to my question. The first was when I found and held a sick baby blue jay as it died in my hands. Don’t worry, I had gloves on. And maybe you’re not an animal-lover, but I am. Since childhood and I’d venture maybe even from within my mother’s womb! It was sad and I definitely cried. Then my sweet guinea pig got sick and passed some time during the night. A deeper loss than the bird I’d only known for maybe less than an hour or 2. I loved my guinea pig like I loved my first dog. Your pet is like your child. Or maybe I just say that because I don’t have children and I would hope you would value your children more than your pets! But really, I’m just saying they’re like family. However, the major difference I found was that this grief was not lingering like it had been with my dog. I enjoyed the time I had with them, and trust God knows why things happen. I know they sometimes just happen without reasonable explanations or logic and we don’t always understand why. In life maybe we never will. I can’t tell you why, though I can guess a few things. What I will say is that while I was sad, it was not the same. Now I can turn to God and pray even in the midst of my sadness. I can also be sad temporarily without getting bogged down in hopelessness and grief. It’s okay to be sad. Jesus wept for Jerusalem and when Lazarus died, even though he resurrected him right after! Sometimes in life, we are going to cry whether we are believers or not. God is truly close to the broken-hearted and He has my heart above all else. He helps us get through it all and gives us a hope for the future. If you’re depressed, your mind is usually stuck in the past. If you’re anxious, you’re usually worried about the future. Though sometimes it’s hard to just live and be in the present, try. Also, if you’re focused on yourself, that sometimes does not allow you to see or help others around you. You stay stuck in whatever negative cycle of thinking you’re in and it’s hard to get out of that mindset. If you focus on doing something positive for at least one or more people around you, it’s something you can feel good about. Something that can lead to more positive changes and getting out of that mire and boldly into the world again. The answer isn’t simple psychology though. It’s God. Who knows where I would be without Him. I thank God every day for what He’s given me and allowed me to experience. He can help you use “mistakes” as learning opportunities. He sometimes orchestrates things in which you don’t always see His hand until after. He is the one that changes our hearts, gives us hope, renews our strength, and comforts us in times of sorrow. If you don’t have that, I hope you seek and find Him one day. God is patient, but we don’t have forever. Things would’ve been a lot easier if I’d found Him sooner, but then I wouldn’t be me and maybe wouldn’t have appreciated it as much. Our experiences shape us. All we can do now is keep learning and becoming better versions of ourselves. That can be a difficult task on your own, but with the grace of God, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Whatever you’ve been through, whatever your struggle may be, keep on keeping on and my hope is that one day you encounter God if you haven’t already. He’s not a miracle band-aid that instantly cures all your ails and worries, but He’ll help you through it and give you a peace, not as the world gives, but one that helps you find joy in the midst of your suffering. Nothing and no one can take that away. Don’t let the devil rob you of that joy with his lies. He came to steal, kill, and destroy. Do you listen to him or to God? Do you listen to God or to man? Don’t worry about what people think, but about what God thinks. Is your heart right with Him? If not, what will it take to make things right? We can’t do it on our own, so repent and ask Him for help. He knows what we need. If you want to try it alone, be my guest. However, that’s doing it the hard way and like the Bible says, what good is it to gain the whole world if you lose your soul? We have free will, but God is the best choice anybody alive can make. If nothing else, that I can guarantee! If you’re not convinced, all I can do is pray and hope you change your mind someday. Comments are closed.
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July 2020
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