The vehicle in front of me hit a bird.
My heart sank.
The driver didn’t stop. Most people do not.
But God does.
Jesus said:
What is the price of two sparrows–one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it?
He didn’t say God stops the sparrow from falling.
He said God knows about it.
A bird. There are millions of sparrows. Yet God sees the one.
He knows about you, too.
~~
Photo courtesy:
God is close to us. Very close.
He shows us in very personal ways.
That’s because despite the wrong in life, God wants us to know what is right.
Like the time I spotted a cardinal when I couldn’t seem to draw one to the feeder.
And the time I found the perfect picture for $3.99.
And the time I found the right color for my new bathroom for $2.99.
And the time I discovered the watering can I’ve always wanted for $5.
But most of all, on that dark day, when out of nowhere, the wind playfully stirred the leaves around my feet, swirling upward, enclosing me in a protective embrace. I surprised myself with a small laugh. God had descended upon me. And I knew it.
These moments are not for a select few. God embodies true love. He reveals himself to you because he cherishes you.
Who else would surprise you?
Only the one who knows what you need. And when you need it.
~~~
With all our technological, medical, and scientific advancements, the common and routine can frustrate us.
That’s because we are limited. And the first step of grieving is acknowledging and admitting death is inevitable. The truth sets us free. That means the part of us which is weighed down with confusion, discouragement, frustration and disappointment breaks free with acceptance.
We are made of the same stuff as our predecessors who lost loved ones to disease, accidents, and war.
We cannot stop it.
Generations before us lived with death. Does this make our personal grieving easier? No. But it helps us to know we are made of the same stuff as our ancestors. We’re human.
We cannot control everything that happens to us the way we choose our ring tones or favorite search engine.
To grieve is to accept.
But to accept is to trust.
Trust in what? Or whom?
There is always someone who writes the book.
In the Beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth.
Genesis 1:1
~~~
Photo Credit: Etolane / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND,
How do I deal with grief?
We live in a world of instant gratification.
Even the poorest among us has access to a fast food lunch, a cell phone, and/or cable television.
The problem is not all things in life can be instantly gratified. Grief is one of those things.
We want to push it away for another day. We’ve got things to do and places to go. But grief interrupts our rhythm.
The world has advanced in leaps and bounds, but our soul hasn’t. We may adjust and accommodate and even welcome the intrusions of someone’s random thoughts posted on a social website. Yet, our soul is the bedrock of who we are and it is limited. Without recognizing those limitations we expect more than we were made to handle.
There has to be times of calmness. We were not made to be constantly alert.
Grieving the loss of someone cannot be filed with the rest of your daily activities. It won’t allow it. Grief will demand your attention and the more you try to keep at bay the more it will intrude. Ignoring it is like ignoring a bullet wound.
You can’t.
Next post: How?
~~~
Photo Credit: Roozbeh Rokni / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
Even the flowers smile.
Be sure to smile back.
Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it’s breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You’ll see the sun come shining through for you
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
“Smile”
Songwriters: Charles Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons
~~~
Photo Credit:
Sailing “Footprints: Real to Reel” (Ronn ashore) / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Toni Blay / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Toni Blay / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Sometimes, giving out of your pain seems unattainable. That’s because you are looking to do something big.
Did you know that Jesus said the least in the kingdom is the greatest? In other words, we often look for the biggest and brightest and best of everything – when God almost always picks the smallest, and dimmest, and the least of everything.
Jesus was born in a barn. Not a castle.
Your giving can be useless and small in your eyes, but it’s a sacrifice God takes note of.
And you know something? It seems to be the secret to soothing your hurting heart — giving of yourself even when you’re sad.
–
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones … truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.
-The Bible
If you have the pleasure of living where there are 4 seasons (as defined by the clear observation of buds, green leaves, colored leaves, no leaves), then you really understand the end of one season and the beginning of another.
Looking at life as seasons really helps when you’re hurting.
Some seasons feel very long. Winter seems to hang on in some places.
Listen. There’s some pretty awful heartache out there. And your pain may feel like winter; never-ending. But I promise you that spring will come again.
So for now, it’s okay to hunker down. And wait.
Do you see the glass half full? 
Or half empty?
Optimism is a choice. So is pessimism.
Which will you choose?
Life can be very difficult.
But how we look at it makes all the difference in how we proceed.
~~~
“Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of good things, and no good thing ever dies.” -Shawshank Redemption
when it hurts 