Devotionals
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22-23
Recently, I have been through a loss which was deeply painful and left me brokenhearted. It was a loss that I never saw coming,and it left me with a void inside me I had not expected. Through the grief in my life that I have experienced, it reminds me of riding an ocean wave. Sometimes you're on the peak of the wave--hopeful and waiting for the next blessing; sometimes you're down in the depths of despair and pain. The truth about that kind of pain is that you must walk THROUGH the grief. Avoiding it is in some ways just prolonging the pain. Telling yourself it's OK, that everybody goes through these times or just to "get over it" is denying that the pain exists. I've walked through painful situations that have changed the course of my life. I have the found the only way to healing, is through pain--not slinking under, not walking around, or trying to rise above it. Facing it and walking through the darkness, is what brings true healing. When loss reappears in my life, I know it brings with it the scars of my past. Those tender places that I thought were totally healed resurface again and remind me where I have been. It's painful to have those old wounds reappear, but it's healthy to be able to respond to them differently. For as I go through grief, I have leanred so much about who God has called me to be.
One of the great messages God has sent in my life is that there are blessings in the storms. Even though I wouldn't have closen some of the losses that have occurred in my life, I never would have felt God's hand if I hadn't faced the grief with an open heart and mind, willing to see what God would have me learn in that situation. You see, looking back on those past difficult times I can clearly see how my faith in God and love for God has grown so much deeper. I know that I walk with the risen Christ. I know nothing can separate me from that love. In addition, God has given me a deeper, more profound perspective, gifts of courage, a compassionate heart and has put people in my life so that I can see Christ in them--being his heart and hands on earth. He has given me the gift of seeing myself as he sees me--as a child of God loved completely and unconditionally.
I know grief and loss can consume me and sometimes it does. But because I know God is walking with me through it, I can rest in his amazing love. I realize it is not only OK, but necessary, for me to grieve my losses. But "because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." I can take great comfort that God doesn't leave me. And because of his love, I am made new every day. And when God brings me to that new perspective, I am able to look at the world he gives me and be grateful for the blessings of each day.
Dear God: It hurts to have to go through loss and grief. Thank you for grieving with us, too. Thank you that your compassions never fail and you love us so completely that you sent your Son to die in our place. Give us open hearts and minds to accept the grace you so freely give. Help us to live our lives with renewed hope through every trial we experience. In Jesus' love, Amen.
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Thank you for this. It is beautiful. I have been submitting my husband's writings since he died in January, because I know there are people out there for whom they carry messages which they will never hear if the works remain private to me. This is how I come to be reading FAITHWRITERS articles, not because I am a writer(though I do write a little, I do not feel it is my current mission to share my writings) but because I want to strenghten my own spirituality as a seeker.
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