2 Corinthians 1:3-7
The Bible is full of examples of men and
women who faced the storms of life as we do. Times of temptation; doubt; worry;
fear; guilt; and today grief. We can learn from them the right and wrong way to
react when these times come our way…and they will. Psalm 119:50 says “My
comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preservers my life!”
There are some things I referenced along
the way about grief that I want to share. There was an article that had to do
with pressure situations and their corresponding “life-change units.” It said
that if a person could add up to 150 units in a year, that person’s health
would begin to break down. To give you an idea of this, I will start with the
smallest unit and work up; here is the list:
1.
Minor violations of the law – (traffic tickets) = 11 units.
2.
Christmas – (the stress and pressures related to it) = 12 units.3. In-law problems = 29 units.
4. Death of a close friend = 37 units.
5. Pregnancy = 40 units (I don’t know if that is for the wife or the husband)
6. Retirement = 45 units.
7. Marriage = 50 units.
8. Jail detention = 63 units.
9. Divorce = 73 units.
10. Death of a spouse = 100 units.
The reason for looking at these things is
of course, to see how easy a combination of these things in a years’ time can
affect our stress level. Most all of these things involve a loss of some kind,
which results in a certain level of grief. The greater the loss, the greater
the grief. What we don’t realize is that loss does not always involve death. We
can mourn and have stress for other reasons.
There is a character in the Old Testament
who experienced just about every loss imaginable, his name was Job. In Job
1:13-17 we are told that Job had 7,000 sheep; 3,000 camels; 500 donkeys; and
500 yoke of oxen. He lost them all to natural disaster and raiding parties. So
the first area that brought stress and grief was the loss of wealth. Not
everyone can relate to this experience of financial loss, but many can…Judy and
I certainly can.In Job 1:18 we are told that Job lost his sons and daughters all at the same time in what seems to be a great tornado. The scripture says a “sudden mighty wind” swept in from the desert and collapsed the house they were all in and they died. So, the second area of loss was the loss of loved ones. There are probably very few who cannot relate to this one. Judy and I are both without parents or grand-parents, and we lost a dear friend just a few weeks after coming to South Carolina. I think of all the losses we grieve over, this one is the hardest and the longest lasting; which is why it has the highest stress units.
In Job 2:7 we are told about Job’s third loss – the loss of his health. Granted the severity of grief over the loss of heath coincides with the severity of the health problem, but it is still a loss. It may be a result of the aging process, or something more severe, but the stress units accumulate.
Those who have studied grief tell us that there is a normal cycle of grief; first there is shock – we are stunned and we don’t know how to react; it may even seem unreal. Then there is denial or blame. Third is anger; followed by depression. And, last is finally acceptance and hope. When a person gets stuck in any certain area of this process, we call that despair. Grief is normal; weeping is normal; despair is not.
I think that of all the times I have talked about in this series in which we need a life preserver, grief is probably the greatest. It is in times of loss and grief that we really need to grab on to God’s Word and allow the “Comforter” the Holy Spirit to weep with us; to mourn with us; and help us through the grieving process and give us new hope.
God never promised that as Christians we would ever be exempt from grief; but He does promise to comfort and help us through. 2 Corinthians 1:3 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all out troubles.”
It is hard even now to write about times of grief without remembering those times in my own life. A lot of hurt and pain that I thought I would never get through. But, I have found that since becoming a Christian, we so often over-estimate our ability to handle sin and temptation…and we under-estimate our ability to handle trials, loss, and grief.
I don’t know where some of you are in this process we call grief, but my hope is that you have found some comfort in this message, and in the knowledge that grief; like fear, doubt, temptation, worry, and guilt, is one of those times when we need something to keep us from sinking into “despair” because people in despair are people who have no hope. God’s Word is full of life preservers…grab one and hang on…I promise there is a better day coming!
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