Good Grief!

I have to say that grief is a topic I'm not really used to talking about.

I think that has to do with how the church has dealt with it, or, more often, hasn't dealt with it.

I've seen and heard some of the things that people in the church say to those going through grief. I believe that mean well. But most of the time their cliche answers just bring more pain.

One thing that I've loved seeing at Eden Community, is that we've openly dealt with grief. It has been amazing to see how our church gathers around those grieving and grieved with them.

One of the main things that I've found to be different in our church is that we've excepted that grief is an ok thing. It is not something to be ashamed of. It's not something to push down and pretend everything is alright.

It's ok to not be ok.

In the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, we see profound grief being experienced by Jesus. This is the Jesus who know what He was about to do. He knew that He would talk to Lazarus in a few minutes.

Yet He was so grieved that the Bible can only describe it in the word "Jesus wept."

This isn't just a trickle of tears. It's not the single solitary tear.

Jesus wept.

I feel the need to say this again, it's ok to not be ok.

So, I've been trying to think of how to write a post about grief that isn't too sad but yet also deals with the topic of grief.

I wish by now that I understood that God is in control of things, and I just have to listen.

This year I've been reading Timothy Keller's devotional book that goes through the Psalms, The Songs Of Jesus. Today's devotional went through Psalm 34:17-22. It talks about God being there with us in times of trouble.

I'll close today with the prayer Keller put at the end of today's devotional.

"Lord, it is not exactly right to thank you for my sorrows, for you did not create a world filled with evil, and my grief causes you grief. And yet I do thank you for the many riches I have found in these dark mines: patience, courage, self-understanding, and most of all your love and presence. Amen"