Category Archives: Sorrow, Grief & Regrets

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April 7, 2015

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, God's Promises, Holidays & Holy Days, Knowing Him, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets

WILL WE RECOGNIZE HIM?

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. [John 1:10 (NLT)]

?????????????????????????????The Gospel of John tells us that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early that Sunday morning only to find it empty. Puzzled, upset, and thinking that someone had stolen the body of Jesus, she started to weep. When she saw a man, thinking he was the gardener, she asked what had been done with Jesus. It wasn’t until He spoke to her that she recognized the Lord.

Luke tells how, that same day, while walking to Emmaus, two of Jesus’ followers were talking about the crucifixion and the week’s events. Frightened and disturbed by the confusing news, a man joined them as they walked. The two, preoccupied with their sadness and disappointment, failed to recognize Him. It was not until Jesus sat down with them, broke bread and blessed it, that they finally recognized their Lord.

These men and Mary Magdalene were Jesus’ followers, yet they failed to recognize him at first. Were they so blinded by their grief or so focused on their disappointment that they couldn’t see their Savior? Were they so preoccupied by their troubles that they failed to see their solution in Jesus? Did they miss seeing Jesus simply because they weren’t looking for him? Was it because, in spite of Jesus’ promises, they weren’t even expecting him?

If we ever hope to experience Jesus’ power and hope, we must remember to look for him when we are grieving, disappointed or troubled. I wonder how many times I have seen Jesus and failed to recognize him, never realizing He was right beside me all of the time.

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. [Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)]

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February 3, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Today: Make it Count

CONTENTMENT OR NOT: THE CHOICE IS OURS

bindweed (hedge)-ACL04WEBI don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:11-13 (HCSB)]

How often do we sigh, “If only …” (fill in the blank) followed by the phrase, “then I’d be happy”? That attitude only fosters a spirit of discontent. If we’re busy waiting for something special in the future, we miss out on the joys of today. We have 86,400 seconds to spend today; we won’t have them tomorrow and any we squandered yesterday in regret or dissatisfaction can’t be salvaged. Let’s not waste a single moment today!

Heavenly Father, while we’re looking forward to tomorrow‘s blessings, help us find happiness and contentment in our present circumstances. Instead of lamenting the past or dreaming about something different in the future, show us how to joyfully accept our lives as they are now.

Single days experienced fully add up to a lifetime lived deeply and well. Today is your life – not yesterday and not tomorrow. If we have tomorrow, it will be a gift, but what we have today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all our tomorrows. [From “Living a Beautiful Life” by Alexandra Stoddard]

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (HCSB)]

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December 11, 2014

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Trusting God

THE BROKENHEARTED

Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. …  I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. [Jeremiah 33:3,29:11 (GW)]

Be strong, all who wait with hope for the Lord, and let your heart be courageous. Psalm 21:24 (GW)

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Suicide has been on my mind lately: not my suicide, but that of others. After a life-long battle with mental illness, the son of a well-known pastor and author, shot himself. A young mother, terminally ill from brain cancer, publicly chose to determine the day and way of her death. A famed comedian, suffering from dementia and depression, hung himself. While in a dumpster, a young football player, suffering from disorientation and mood swings, ended his life with a gun. I cannot judge their actions; I can only pray for their survivors.

Last week, a young man from our church also took his life. Like many of us, he’d made some poor choices. He’d messed up and hurt the people he loved. Perhaps he was sick at heart and burdened with guilt, regret or embarrassment; perhaps he could face neither his past nor his future. I don’t know and I cannot judge his actions. I can, however, pray for his survivors.

The one thing all these people had in common was loss of hope. Pain, mental illness, disease, brain lesions, depression, dementia, guilt, regret and more had blinded them to hope. Christian hope is the knowledge that no matter what the circumstances, we’re being changed for the better. To do that, however, we must trust in God and his promises. Unfortunately, sometimes circumstances keep people from seeing God’s light in the darkness of their souls, believing God’s plan in the terribleness of their circumstances, accepting God’s love and forgiveness in repugnance at their own behavior, or thanking God for all things.

Sadly, these deaths were not isolated occurrences. Globally, every three seconds someone attempts to take his or her life and every suicide leaves behind six to eight survivors. The loss of a loved one to suicide is devastating; I wish could take away the survivors’ pain, but I can’t. As Christians, however, what we can do is offer hope: prayers, love, comfort and the support of our community.

What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God. [Rick Warren]

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. [Psalm 34:18 (NLT)]

May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 15:13 (GW)]

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October 6, 2014

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Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Wisdom & Guidance

SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES

DSC09563WEBAnd while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. [Genesis 4:8b (NLT)]

I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. [Albert Einstein]

I recently visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. While I enjoyed learning about the past, present, and future of nuclear science, I left the museum deeply saddened. No nuclear science presentation would have been complete without exhibits about the politics of World War II, the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cold War, and various weapons of destruction; it was these exhibits that so troubled my heart. We live in a fallen world and man’s capacity for horror boggles my mind. I read the stories, saw the pictures and viewed the weaponry; I thought of the billions of dollars and hours of brain power that went into finding ways to kill one another and was horrified. Since the beginning of time, we’ve tried to solve our differences with bloodshed. When will we ever learn? God, help us!

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love; so mightily spread abroad your Spirit that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, a children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen [Book of Common Prayer]

The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. Everyone will live in peace and prosperity, enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees, for there will be nothing to fear. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise! [Micah 4:3-4 (NLT)]

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October 4, 2014

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Bible Stories, Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets

SEND IT INTO THE WILDERNESS (Day of Atonement)

10-4-14 wildernessWEBHappy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. [Psalm 32:1 (NCV)]

Today is the Day of Atonement, a Jewish holy day. The book of Leviticus describes the rituals the Israelites were to perform on this most sacred day of the year. In one ceremony, two goats were taken from the people. One goat would be given to the Lord and the other would be the “scapegoat.” The goat given to God was sacrificed as a sin offering to make atonement for the sins of the people; its purpose was forgiveness. The second goat was then brought before the altar. The priest laid his hands on the goat and confessed the sins and transgressions of the people. He then sent it away into the wilderness; its purpose was to remove the people’s guilt.

The Christian, however, doesn’t need this kind of yearly ritual. Our sacrifice has already been made: Jesus was our sacrificial lamb. It was his blood that was shed for our sins. Because of him, once we repent and confess our sins, they are forgiven and forgotten. God forgives us and lets us start anew, free from guilt.

Sometimes, however, we don’t accept His forgiveness. We hang on to our guilt by replaying our actions, blaming ourselves and others, and regretting our failures. We carry embarrassment, humiliation, and shame around even after God has forgotten all about it. Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the ancient Israelites. Knowing that a sacrifice has been made to atone for our sins, we need to send our guilt out into the wilderness, never again to be seen!

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. [Psalm 103:12 (NLT)]

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April 7, 2014

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Faith & Hope, Salvation: A New You, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Today: Make it Count

He’s Just Around the Corner

2014-4-7Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” [John 11:25-26 (NLT)]

Dear Lord, console those who mourn and fill them with hope. Wipe their tears and help them find comfort in both their faith and memories. Reassure them that life for the believer does not end at death but will continue forever in your loving presence. Guide the bereaved through their grief and bring them to a place where they again will have laughter and joy in their lives.

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh. [John 6:47-51 (NLT)]

“Death is Nothing at All”
[Henry Scott Holland, Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral]

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference in your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without affect, without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.