The Most Important Thing

There has been something that has been pressing on my heart lately, well actually for quiet a few years. We discussed it in Bible study this morning and I wanted to write a little bit about about it and my heart in it. The topic is on grief. The speaker this morning illustrated grief as "the set of feelings and emotions human beings experience when they face loss." I just thought that it was a really good topic because it is something not only American's but also as Christians we sometimes chose to ignore or coverup to forget about it.  The difficult and sad thing is, that we as the selfish humans we are impose loss on each other.  Thankfully loss determines how we grow, not only in ourselves but also in Christ.  Successfully walking through grief brings us closer to God.  The stages of grief as most people know are:

  * Shock- Where you are so numb that you can't even feel sad because you are too possibly hurt to feel anything.

* Denial- Where you just can't believe that this is true. 

* Anger- Where you ask questions like; "Why God?", "Why me?", Why this person?" You come to a place where your pain is so big you don't know what to do with it.

* Pain-   Where all you want is back what you have lost.  You feel like a failure.  You feel like you let all of those around you down. 

* Debating-  Wanting to make deals with yourself and God to bring things back to the way they once were.

* Depression- Is sadness with no hope. Wanting to give up, because you feel powerless because of the hurt.

* Acceptance- Realizing that life will go on.  To see that it is not the end of your story.

* Hope- For the future, moving forward, and growing closer to God. It is hard to believe that there is anything on the other side.  But you come to a point where you discover joy again. You learn to live with what you have lost.

Saying that it is God's will sometimes doesn't help.  It makes God out to be the antagonist. It makes you feel like a victim. And at times that is true, but its not good to only see yourself as that.  Grief is a process of accepting a change that we don't want.  

Psalm 22 is a verse that has kept me strong and hoping. Knowing that I am not alone in my sufferings.  David went through the same periods of loneliness. Psalm 22 says, 

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 

Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

But you are holy,

Enthroned in the praises of Israel.  

Our fathers trusted in you; they trusted, and you delivered them.

They trusted you and were not ashamed...

I am poured out like water, and all of my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax, it has melted within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd.

And my tongue clings to my jaws;

You have brought me to the dust of death...

But You, O Lord, do not be far from me;

O my strength, hasten to help me!"

This verse speaks to my heart, reassuring me that there is hope amongst the despair. Going through periods of loss is a good thing. Proverbs 3:11-12 says, " My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects." Last week the speaker said "Let God be God," and this week the ending line was, "Let God be there for you." To me, allowing God be apart of your sufferings, with a willing heart gives God the chance to move in you in amazing ways. God blesses you and you find joy again. Letting God be your everything, to me, is the most important thing.