God’s Grace, Our Grief

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I may be intimately acquainted with only my own grief and sorrow, but Jesus is acquainted with the sorrows of all mankind.

There are moments when I stop to ponder rampant human trafficking, people dying of unclean water and unsanitary living conditions, children dying of malnutrition, or simply the plight of a young child whose mother is yelling and belittling him in a McDonald’s restaurant. In those moments, I look at the fallen world and weep as Jesus wept.

However, more often I chose to look away, or look only long enough to give my money and not my energy in prayer, my sympathy but not my savings, my pity but not a passion for Christ-centered, gospel-driven change.

Please join me over at iBelieve today for the rest of the post.

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Unpacking Christmas: The Empty Seat

Unpacking Christmas The Empty Seat

The first Christmas came pregnant with anticipation and the heralding of angels upon lowly shepherds in a dim-lit field. For thirty-three years Mary remembered the night her son, our Savior, was born. She pondered the events in her heart and poured over the man the Son had become. On the thirty-fourth year after His birth, she found herself celebrating an unexpected Christmas: God and Son reunited, mother and Son separated by heaven and earth.

As we remember this Christmas the angels heralding his birth, we too may find ourselves celebrating an unexpected Christmas like Mary’s 34th Christmas. A Christmas celebration marked by loss even as we are cradled in the cross of Christ. The Father empathizes with our empty place settings at the table this Christmas. He sees every tear and knows the aching of our hearts. The loved ones who are united now with the Father have left a scar on our souls; a separation that only death can bring. Thankfully death lost its final sting at the resurrection, and those who were in Christ in life now celebrate Christmas with the One of whom it was prophesied:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ~Isaiah 53:4-6

The separation from our loved ones is potentially temporary because Christ first separated Himself from the Father. He brought us peace in His pain and healing in His affliction. No one comprehends the sorrows of a grieving heart like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Indeed He sympathizes with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and gives grace in our grief. As unexpected Christmas’s are celebrated all around the world, petitions are made to the One who brought us eternal peace asking Him to pour His healing balm on temporal suffering hearts once more.

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For Those Mourning this Mother’s Day

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Mother’s Day 2012 was bittersweet. The month of May brought much heartache to family and friends through the loss of two beautiful women. One a grandmother the other a young mother. As my heart aches for the families grieving I pray for answers to questions and new challenges that these women’s absence continues to bring.

The pain of death is surely felt by the undeparted.

 I was reminded that God is a parent that outlived His son. God the Father did not spare His own son, but gave Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. We cannot rush through this fact: God. sent. His. son. to. die.

We anticipate reunification with our loved-ones in death because Jesus died and rose again. His resurrected body is reunited with God the Father as our’s will be with those who have gone before us into heaven.

As a result of Jesus rising from the dead He is restored to not only the Father, but to all mankind as well. Further, those who place their faith in the cleansing blood of Christ Jesus will be reunited with family and friends in heaven who are of the same conviction and belief.

Bible verses preached at the grieving absent the Holy Spirit seem dull and lifeless. However, with the Holy Spirit, God’s living word soothes our anxious grief-stricken souls–if even moment by moment. God’s well of mercy has not run dry nor shall it til Christ returns. He promises He will comfort us; both parent and child.

When a child dies before his or her parent, or when a child looses their parent, the Trinity is familiar with this pain and will  give us all that is needed to walk through our tragedy and loss (Romans 8:32). If Mother’s Day is a day of grief for you this year due to the loss of a mother or child I pray God’s peace and blessing on your soul. May the God of all comfort comfort you in your time of need (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Those who mourn shall indeed be comforted (Matthew 5:4) both in this life and in eternity. Harder days may lie ahead but you never walk alone.

Home is indeed a place called heaven. Perhaps you are more anxious to arrive now that you know more familiar faces await you…He has already wiped away your loved one’s tears.

Photo by my friend Hannah F.

*A re-post.

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Lessons in the Clouds

Remember as a child, or perhaps even presently, the game of discovering pictures or figures in the clouds? Saturday evening I was driving to church with the children and beheld the most magnificent skyline full of puffy, white clouds.

When you think of clouds you might contemplate the beautiful sight to behold in the sky, or their part in rain and photosynthesis, but have you ever looked at the clouds and thought of God? 

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On Saturday, one cloud-scape in particular caught my attention. I imagined that it looked like God in his chariot of horses riding on the clouds.

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.~Psalm 103:3-4 (emphasis mine)

The Bible has many references to God and clouds. Take for example that God traveled before the Israelites by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire to guide them (Exodus 13:21); He again showed Israel His glory in a cloud over the desert (Exodus 16:10).  God spoke to Moses and showed him His glory from within a cloud (Exodus 24:15-16). God told Moses that He appeared in a cloud over the atonement cover (Leviticus:1-2).  God spoke to Peter, John, and James after they witnessed the transfiguration through a cloud (Luke 9:34-35).

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. ~Revelation 1:7

There are more accounts in scripture associating clouds with God, but these six examples are enough to confirm that the association holds merit.

Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, assuaged that:

The clouds are a sign that He is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow and bereavement and suffering are the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near without clouds, He does not come in clear shining. It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials: Through every cloud He brings, He wants us to unlearn something.  His purpose in the cloud is to simplify our belief until our relationship to Him is exactly that of a child-God and my own soul, other people are shadows.” (July 29th entry)

Within the last year, I have witnessed so much death…unexpected death. There are clouds of sorrow that have loomed over my soul and even more strongly over those that I know and love.

I have contemplated how the evil in life is more real with every passing year. For children, the worries of this world are primarily unrecognized. Yes, they see and hear and worry, but not on a level of adult understanding. God does not want us to worry. In fact, worry is a sin that we should avoid. Rather, God would have us come like a child to their daddy and say, “Father, this has happened and I am so very sad…scared…doubtful…please help me.”

I believe the above is what Oswald Chambers and Jesus himself meant when they said we must approach God with the faith of a child. Our reasoning and wisdom increase with age, however we must revert to the child-like trust in the One who is greater than all to see us through and teach us the lessons in the dark or the fluffy clouds of life.

It has been said that “in every cloud there is a silver lining.”  Perhaps it would be better to say that in every cloud is God’s refining.  When we take a walk through the clouds it is for our sanctification and purification in Christ to ultimately bring us into greater communion with Him.  I am certain that my present clouds are teaching me more of God and my great need for Him.  What is your walk through the clouds teaching you?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.~ Psalm 19:1-3

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an edited repost

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Talking to Children After the Death of a Loved One


Emotions surrounding death weather sudden or expected are difficult for adults to process let alone little hearts who are not accustomed to the pain of loss.

Our pain may manifest itself in anger, withdrawal, or a lack of focus. Theirs may or may not look similar. Underneath whatever behavior is on display are little hurting hearts that miss their grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, friends, or siblings.

How do we talk to these hearts at their greatest point of need? How do we address their fears and feelings? I would offer, with much prayer, affection, and an open posture towards talking about the deceased.

Recently we had a family member pass away very unexpectedly. While our youngest doesn’t truly understand death at this point, or maybe this loss wasn’t close enough to impact him very much, our oldest is having difficulty letting go.

I have found it helpful for her to express her emotions by asking God to, “Please tell Mrs. Carol that I love her and I miss her and thank you for the presents you gave me.” She has also drawn her many cards and played with the toys that were gifts from Mrs. Carol.

This summer we helped the kids to memorize the 23rd Psalm. In this passage David states: “Event though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.” As we state this passage often I sense that our children will one day draw strength and comfort from these words. This perhaps is a good time for us to expand on what these verses are saying.

In the midst of death, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is with us. He comforts us and extends His mercies toward us. The 23rd Psalm may be a source of comfort for your children as they walk through the days in the valley.

Finally, reading stories about death provides a window in which we express, “This is a good time to talk about how you are feeling.” These are the books that we found helpful to our children in dealing with loss:

We will not always have the most eloquent words to say to little hurting hearts; that is not the point. Out of our overflow of grief and sympathy  it is most important that we are open to communicating and comforting. Being the arms that hug, the lap to sit on, and the prayer of prayers that seek comfort and wisdom, this is our gift and our strength in talking to children after they loose someone they love.

Praying the God of all comfort will comfort your heart and your child’s at your point of deepest sorrow.

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