Jesus wept.
Jesus wept. That is the shortest verse in the entire Bible, but it speaks volumes about Him. Jesus, fully God and fully Man. Human from stem to stern. To say that He never experienced what we do now is, according to this verse, totally false. He encountered racism, segregation, slavery, bias, prejudice...joy, anger, the gamut of emotions, and no doubt He even encountered counter-cultures, but none of it, not one iota of it can compare to the emotion of grief. To put it bluntly, today, Jesus can relate with me, and with others who are going through the process of grief.
In the Bible, Jesus was ministering to those around Him when He got word that one of His dearest friends was very ill, close to death. He acknowledged the news, and continued healing and teaching. After two more days, Jesus told them that they needed to go to Judea, so that He may "wake" Lazarus. Confused, the Apostles queried that if Lazarus was asleep, then surely he would get better. Jesus had to be blunt with them, and told them that he was dead. Perhaps you know the rest of the story...Jesus came to the tomb where they buried Lazarus, and wept. Then with a shout, commanded Lazarus to rise. All of this can be found in the 11th chapter of Luke.
Why am I sharing this today? Because, yesterday morning, after over 20 years of battling cancer in one form or another, my Aunt Donna passed peacefully from this life into the next. I find myself weeping at odd times...while driving, during therapy, at night when I should be sleeping. To be honest with you, for the first time in the last 8 years or so, I've actually felt the emotion. I believe that the medicine I had been on for my fibromyalgia was hindering full emotions. After all, it "balances out" the serotonin levels, that would make sense. So along with the grief of my Aunt's passing, is also wonder. And while the grief is not overwhelming, it still is a heart pain, an ache that one has when a loved one dies.
I wish that I could say that the emotions I had for those who passed away last year were this clear. I'm angry that the medicine kept that from me. Apparently, I'm upset to the point that a dream I had last night clearly showed me that I feel as if I have or had zero control over anything. The one thing I realized when I woke up, is that I don't need to feel that way. Jesus knows what I'm going through in grieving over my Aunt. He knows my heartache, my frustrations, but He also wants me to let Him know, to tell Him what I'm feeling. To give everything over to Him to handle, so that I may grieve and heal.
I'm sure this post is a bit confusing to you, but right now, I'm a bit of a mess. I needed to get this out, to perhaps reach someone else who is grieving to let you know that Jesus knows your pain. He's been there. He's felt the emotion full on, nothing was held back. God did not spare even His own Son from that emotion, and He could have. If He had, however, Jesus would not have been able to relate to you and me on any sort of level. He would have been untouchable, unreachable, and not able to understand why the profound sadness. I'm glad that He got to feel what I'm feeling, that nothing was held back. Now, He is able to minister to me, to grant me peace and comfort during this time, and He can do that for you, too, if you would only ask.
Jesus has been there. He's wept at loss, He knows your grief. Won't you give it over to Him? Won't you accept His love and presence in your life?
Lord, I thank You for hearing my cries. I thank You that You collect my tears, and that You know my grief. Please, Father, comfort those who mourn, grant them peace beyond all understanding.
In Jesus' precious name. Amen.
In the Bible, Jesus was ministering to those around Him when He got word that one of His dearest friends was very ill, close to death. He acknowledged the news, and continued healing and teaching. After two more days, Jesus told them that they needed to go to Judea, so that He may "wake" Lazarus. Confused, the Apostles queried that if Lazarus was asleep, then surely he would get better. Jesus had to be blunt with them, and told them that he was dead. Perhaps you know the rest of the story...Jesus came to the tomb where they buried Lazarus, and wept. Then with a shout, commanded Lazarus to rise. All of this can be found in the 11th chapter of Luke.
Why am I sharing this today? Because, yesterday morning, after over 20 years of battling cancer in one form or another, my Aunt Donna passed peacefully from this life into the next. I find myself weeping at odd times...while driving, during therapy, at night when I should be sleeping. To be honest with you, for the first time in the last 8 years or so, I've actually felt the emotion. I believe that the medicine I had been on for my fibromyalgia was hindering full emotions. After all, it "balances out" the serotonin levels, that would make sense. So along with the grief of my Aunt's passing, is also wonder. And while the grief is not overwhelming, it still is a heart pain, an ache that one has when a loved one dies.
I wish that I could say that the emotions I had for those who passed away last year were this clear. I'm angry that the medicine kept that from me. Apparently, I'm upset to the point that a dream I had last night clearly showed me that I feel as if I have or had zero control over anything. The one thing I realized when I woke up, is that I don't need to feel that way. Jesus knows what I'm going through in grieving over my Aunt. He knows my heartache, my frustrations, but He also wants me to let Him know, to tell Him what I'm feeling. To give everything over to Him to handle, so that I may grieve and heal.
I'm sure this post is a bit confusing to you, but right now, I'm a bit of a mess. I needed to get this out, to perhaps reach someone else who is grieving to let you know that Jesus knows your pain. He's been there. He's felt the emotion full on, nothing was held back. God did not spare even His own Son from that emotion, and He could have. If He had, however, Jesus would not have been able to relate to you and me on any sort of level. He would have been untouchable, unreachable, and not able to understand why the profound sadness. I'm glad that He got to feel what I'm feeling, that nothing was held back. Now, He is able to minister to me, to grant me peace and comfort during this time, and He can do that for you, too, if you would only ask.
Jesus has been there. He's wept at loss, He knows your grief. Won't you give it over to Him? Won't you accept His love and presence in your life?
Lord, I thank You for hearing my cries. I thank You that You collect my tears, and that You know my grief. Please, Father, comfort those who mourn, grant them peace beyond all understanding.
In Jesus' precious name. Amen.
Thank you so much for your post. Have a blessed week!
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