My mother graduated from this life and has passed on to be with the Lord the beginning of this year. I miss her though I was angry for a little while thinking that she should have been stronger to get through it. I thought the same thing at the passing of my father 10 years ago. Its because we think are parents can get through anything. They always have. But they are both in better places and I had to come to terms with that rather than wallowing in resentment for them leaving me. It would be childish to continue thinking that way which could only be justified by dealing with grief and mourning (Matthew 5:4, Romans 12:15 AMP). These two emotions are allowed but only briefly. We still have tasks to do. People are still watching and expect us to do what we have been doing all along. It is how the body of Christ functions. Its like when you close your eyes, you can hear better. Its not that you don't need your eyes but one (or more) of the senses takes over even for a little while. But this is when there is action going on. If you choose not to do anything, then eventually the body ceases to function. People will stop believing you are the responsible one, the go-to-guy, and look for someone else to fit the bill. Not doing anything at all moves from grief and mourning right into depression. This is not the place to be nor is it acceptable by any stretch of translation in God's Word (Psalm 30:5 AMP).
In the ministry I used to attend, there was a sermon that I have not since forgot even when it was taught over 20 years ago. The pastor was on vacation with his family and he believed that he left the church in capable hands with his assistant pastors. All that week, one of the pastors had the opportunity to teach a lesson which they believed they received from the Lord in their time of study. We missed our pastor but knew that the entire week was going to be such a treat. Each day the congregation was full, nevertheless, something happened because the messages were tainted. Not to go through each of them but one that serves as fodder for this particular blog. All of the speakers brought a bible with him/her to the podium, but not all of the speakers used the Word when they spoke. That's how I knew some of the messages were tainted. This particular assistant pastor was no different. He spoke on depression and that it was alright to be depressed. He testified about his own personal experience and as horrible as it was, he could not make me believe that God gave him permission to wallow in that mire. He repeated himself as if he was allowing for anyone going through a tough time in their life, that they too can be where he decided not to leave. At the time, I was very young in the Lord and had no idea why he would tell a group of people something that was so very wrong to do. If I had not been that young and didn't need the spiritual nourishment so much, I would have prayed for him and those around me so that those words wouldn't send anyone in a direction that was not paved for them to be in.
While in college and still a babe in Christ, I happened to come upon a website for those that are
grieving. It promoted the site to be one of Christian origin and I was intrigued to see what it was they were doing to help Christians in their time of grief. There were categories for those that lost members of their family, pets, jobs and the like. People were asking questions and the host of the site would take the time and counsel by way of an email. I read through some of the questions and answers, Not once did the host mention anything having to do with healing. So I posed the question. She answered me immediately. Writers have a voice whether they know it or not. As I read the email she sent to me, she appeared as someone with an abundance of compassion and sympathy. I suppose being called to do what she does, she would have to be. Initially, its how I wrote to her. When I asked about the scripture she was using to justify what she was saying, the voice of this writer changed. She approached my question as a challenge to her character. To give credibility to her means, she never answered my question about scripture, but testified about a death in her family. For a moment, I was ashamed that she felt attacked by me. Then I continued reading and found her grief was a pet that she lost over ten years ago, I felt that it was all a scam and she was using people in order to maintain her site. She never answered a simple question. When was she ever going to get to the healing portion or did she expect for all of her members to continue functioning in depression? She deleted my question and then blocked me from the site. The internet was pretty new back then. All I had to do was open a new account to pursue the answer...but to what end? It is what she chose to do with her life and has grabbed a few unsuspecting viewers along the way. It was like she found an open wound and kept picking at the scab just to watch it bleed. Its been quite a few years since that happened, yet every once in awhile when I think of her, I pray.The bible is clear when it comes to mourning. Its not hard to do and it is for our benefit. I read the different personalities that have been through the same emotions and how they dealt with the matter. Because we are not all the same, these men also made decisions with this emotion that affected them all differently. Still we are to to choose the better portion and that is the portion that sustains life. As you continue to study these references, you choose the one that best fits your needs.
David lost his firstborn son. (2 Samuel 12:14-31 AMP)
Solomon lost his reign as king. (1 Kings 11 AMP)
Job lost all of his children. (Job 1:13-22 AMP)
Jesus lost His cousin, John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1-23 AMP)
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