I have a precious friend who got to go pick up her son from a hospital the other day. He had been driving along, doing the right thing when he was t-boned at an intersection because someone else did not pay attention. The person who caused the wreck owned up to his mistake, but that did not fix the damage or prevent the stitches and bruised body.
Isn’t that how life sometimes goes? We do everything we know to do and then grief just whacks us in the face. Someone abuses our trust, health is precarious, the economy is struggling, or any number of things can make us grieve. We do our part and yet it never seems to be enough. We question ourselves and sometimes we even question God. Does he care? Why did he let it happen? How is he going to fix it?
I have heard all my life that if God wanted to he could fix everything or prevent it in the first place. I used to not even think of what people were saying, but as an older adult I no longer need or want God to fix or prevent everything simply because he can. I look at the lessons I learned either from my experiences or the experiences of others and know we would not be the people we are today if we had not had to go through some painful times. much more from those who have endured the most grief than from those who have hardly had anything to grieve over. The seasoned grievers show more empathy, compassion, and wisdom. They know life is not fair, but they still see God as kind and loving. They know our bodies are weak yet God is our constant companion. They remember that Jesus said we would struggle not that struggles could be avoided even if we do everything right.
I want to encourage those who are currently grieving. I am not saying life will get easier or that everything will turn out right, but keep doing what you know you should. We may get hit, be hurt, and have to recover. We may be out for a while and loose material things. We may be in an emotional hole that is deeper than we thought possible, but I do believe there is hope.
Someone loves you and they are willing to meet you in your pain. His name is Jesus. He knew betrayal, grief, death, and hardship. He also saw the end of the story. Nothing can hit you that he is not aware of because he has sifted it through his fingers. You may not be able to bear it by yourself, but if you lean on him you can travel through the pain. He is the great physician that has the ability to stitch up any cut and even ease the pain of the bruises. Healing will happen.