| Simple Doesn't Mean Easy © Ferna Lary Mills |
| Sometimes we make things too difficult. We don't mean to. We don't really do it on purpose. In fact, most of the time, we don't even realize we're doing it at all. Like grief, for instance. Grief is extremely painful ... but it's not complicated. Grief is powerfully overwhelming and most of the time it's a complete devastation to our spirit... but grief in and of itself is simple: we loved, we lost, and now we grieve. We analyze it and try to figure what state of grief we are in at this point. Although grief does come in stages of Disbelief, Anger, Sorrow, Isolation, and Depression, these stages aren't measured into set days or weeks, and once a stage seems to be over doesn't mean it won't return again later. They flit in and out of our life, hitting us we we are usually the least prepared to handle them. We study about grief and try to figure out when it will get easier, or when it will be over. Well, that's simple, too. It is never over. The only way to get over grief is to quit loving the person that is now gone. That just doesn't happen. We simply need to remember that although grief is the hardest thing we may ever endure in this lifetime, the best thing to do when grieving is just keep it simple. If you need to cry, then cry. If you need to vent your anger, then do it in some positive way. This, too, will pass. As time goes by, these intense emotions will hit you with a lesser intensity, and will occur less often. But as long as you still love, you will always grieve the loss, even if you are firm in your faith. The only thing that will change is the frequency and intensity of your grief. Simply put, but sometimes very hard to do. As a young child, I learned to say grace by bowing my head and repeating these words: "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food." Even in the worse times of grief and sorrow, these same principles still apply. God is great. He is made even greater in our trials if we trust Him and allow Him to work in our lives. Sometimes it's hard to lift our eyes above our sorrow, but He is always there waiting for our eyes to meet His. He eagerly waits for us to place our sorrow in His hands, and to allow Him to carry our burdens. God is good. He wants to shower us with His goodness and His mercy. We only have to ask Him, and place our complete trust in Him, and He will pour out showers of blessings even in our darkest days. Let us thank Him. In all things, give thanks. Easy to do if you've just won the lottery, difficult to say the least when you've just lost the light of your life. This prayer of thanks can be done with tears streaming, but in giving thanks, we acknowledge His greatness, His goodness, and His omnicience. As a result, we will discover His miraculous peace and a strength that will carry us through the difficult days. From all of us at Rainbow Faith, we pray that you will find that strength and peace, and we hope that the words written at this website will be a source of encouragement and hope for you during this difficult time. May God bless you and bring you Peace. ~ |
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| A Christian Grief Ministry |
Life After Loss |