Dealing With Grief - Getting Raw Then Feeling Whole
Loss is unfortunately one of the facts of life. We lose loved ones to death, divorce or addiction. Our hearts break. It hurts and we sometimes feel alone. I may not know what you are going through right now but I know how it feels to be devastated. To not want the sun to shine because you can't face the day. Yes, that was mild depression too not just grief.
The thing is my greatest friend knows the feeling too. Crying blood, having wept and having dealt with death is something he knew and knows. Jesus not only lost Lazarus His friend but also John the Baptist His cousin. How did He respond? He obviously had an emotional reaction. Crying is normal and especially in difficult circumstances like these. However, Jesus - God in the flesh also has the capability to change any circumstance. Lazarus, was famously brought back to life by Jesus. With the death of John the Baptist, Jesus wanted time alone. However, the people followed him. It's amazing to note that scripture says that Jesus had compassion on them! John was dead. The John who baptized Him publicly, the John who preached about the coming ministry of Jesus, the same John who was radically God focused. Despite that back drop Jesus had compassion on the people, healed them then fed over five thousand of them! Matthew 14:8-21 gives a detailed account of this.
Jesus understands how to deal with grief. He knows how we feel when we cry. He even provisions for our comfort during difficult times like He did with Mary when he told John that Mary was now his mother (John 19:25-27). I say all this to say, that Jesus knows our hearts and wants us to be comforted and healed. He even referred to The Holy Spirit as the Comforter and we who are vessels of the Holy Spirit are also to provide comfort to others.
I end with some words of encouragement; no matter the darkness of the moment remember that "There is a season and a time for every matter under heaven... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;" Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 4.
Even if this is a time to weep, another time will come for laughter too.