Gifts of Grief

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
                                                      ~ I Peter 5: 6-7

When someone close to you that you really love dies, you quickly discern from desirable submission or undesirable coercion what is important in life! Grief has a way of “teaching” us how to recognize the good that happens as a result of suffering great loss. It is also a “counselor” as priorities are often reassessed and even reordered. Suffering and evil are omnipresent as we live in a fallen world—nothing is perfect on this earth. Comforting is the knowledge and understanding that a Holy, Sovereign God can use every situation for an even greater good bringing glory to His name. When a loved one dies, it seems impossible that God could possibly use this great loss for good—missing the laughter, the hugs, the experiences, the joyful moments—seeing the empty chair at the dinner table and setting one less place setting…but God can and does use especially the most sorrowful and broken circumstances to draw us to Himself. If we are honest, is it not the times that we face trouble, or illness, or pain that we cry out to God? Isn’t it then that our prayers become more fervent? Even those who don’t pray every day will often ask others to pray for them in a time of desperate need—sickness, job loss, difficult circumstances, broken relationships! We all draw near to God and desire His presence with greater intensity during any trial. For this reason, grieving loss can be a beacon in the darkness bringing us to the LIGHT—Jesus Christ! This is a much bigger picture than small human minds can fathom. Grieving a great loss focuses our minds and hearts on what is really important! We have to go places and do things we may not want to go to or do in order to get us where HE wants us to be! God uses our losses to bring brilliance beyond measure to our lives in much the same way a jeweler molds, holds, and uses an opal stone which has no color or shine of its own—only in the hands of the craftsman does it take on color, shine, and brilliance!

 

God uses trials in our lives to mold us and shape us in ways that otherwise would not be possible giving the gift of incomparable eternal rewards!

Going through a difficult time? Ask Jesus to come spend the day with you—read His Word aloud and tell Him the desires of your heart. He already knows you better than you know yourself.  Draw near to God, and He promises to draw near to you!

 

© Copyright 2013 Dr. Donna Earl Bridges. All rights reserved.