The Idolatry of Grief
Brook Hills
[caption id="attachment_426" align="aligncenter" width="944"] "Mourning" by Jeremy Sorrells / CC BY-NC 2.0 / Cropped[/caption]
Today’s story was written by Sue Mooney. Sue has attended Brook Hills for 2 1/2 years and became a member a year ago. Five and a half years ago, God called her husband home after a brief but very severe illness.
Let me tell you up front that I have not perfected this area or journey and will not until God calls me home. My heart breaks for all those who are on this same journey. God has shown me recently, both personally and from others, that grief comes in so many forms and areas of our lives. I will share mine because this is the path I have traveled and the one God has given me to share. I will share with you the particular area that God showed me and continues to show me.
Let me say first, that it in no way takes away the heartache, horrendous pain, loneliness, and incompleteness that becoming a widow brought to my life. This continues and will always be there in some ways.
What God did so clearly tell me and show me is that, at some point in my journey, my grief had become an idol.
Now you may say, “How can that be? Does God not know your pain? Does He not love you with an everlasting, unfailing love? Does He not understand your grief? Know your loneliness and heartache?”
The answer to this is a thousand times, “Yes, Yes, Yes.”
His Word throughout Scripture shouts this. He loves, He cares, He protects, He provides. What He did not want from me was my dependence on my grief, my circumstances, or even my family.
You see anything or any person that takes our focus and complete dependence off of Him becomes an idol.
It becomes first instead of Him.
That is where I had allowed my grief to take me. I was consumed with grief and all that goes with it. He was not telling me that it was wrong for me to miss my “Baby.” God was telling me, though, that my first love and devotion had to be to Him and my Lord Jesus. The rest He will take care of – and how He does! He even showed me just this weekend that I am to love and share this time of year.
See for the past 5 years, I have hated for this time to come around. It was December – March that completely changed my life, our children’s lives, and our grandchildren’s lives. He also so gently told me that it was this time centuries before that changed eternity and all of mankind. That is what I am to celebrate. Does it mean that I will be okay everyday and not be sad and lonely? Probably not. This is, though, where I lay the idol of grief down and fall at the feet of my Lord and worship Him alone. You see, without Him and my Father’s love I would not be here today. To Him and Him alone be all praise and glory.
Sue has two wonderful sons and seven fantastic grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with the children in Bible Club at Marks Village on Sundays and she is part of a short-term team traveling to Mexico in May.
Today’s story was written by Sue Mooney. Sue has attended Brook Hills for 2 1/2 years and became a member a year ago. Five and a half years ago, God called her husband home after a brief but very severe illness.
Let me tell you up front that I have not perfected this area or journey and will not until God calls me home. My heart breaks for all those who are on this same journey. God has shown me recently, both personally and from others, that grief comes in so many forms and areas of our lives. I will share mine because this is the path I have traveled and the one God has given me to share. I will share with you the particular area that God showed me and continues to show me.
Let me say first, that it in no way takes away the heartache, horrendous pain, loneliness, and incompleteness that becoming a widow brought to my life. This continues and will always be there in some ways.
What God did so clearly tell me and show me is that, at some point in my journey, my grief had become an idol.
Now you may say, “How can that be? Does God not know your pain? Does He not love you with an everlasting, unfailing love? Does He not understand your grief? Know your loneliness and heartache?”
The answer to this is a thousand times, “Yes, Yes, Yes.”
His Word throughout Scripture shouts this. He loves, He cares, He protects, He provides. What He did not want from me was my dependence on my grief, my circumstances, or even my family.
You see anything or any person that takes our focus and complete dependence off of Him becomes an idol.
It becomes first instead of Him.
That is where I had allowed my grief to take me. I was consumed with grief and all that goes with it. He was not telling me that it was wrong for me to miss my “Baby.” God was telling me, though, that my first love and devotion had to be to Him and my Lord Jesus. The rest He will take care of – and how He does! He even showed me just this weekend that I am to love and share this time of year.
See for the past 5 years, I have hated for this time to come around. It was December – March that completely changed my life, our children’s lives, and our grandchildren’s lives. He also so gently told me that it was this time centuries before that changed eternity and all of mankind. That is what I am to celebrate. Does it mean that I will be okay everyday and not be sad and lonely? Probably not. This is, though, where I lay the idol of grief down and fall at the feet of my Lord and worship Him alone. You see, without Him and my Father’s love I would not be here today. To Him and Him alone be all praise and glory.
Sue has two wonderful sons and seven fantastic grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with the children in Bible Club at Marks Village on Sundays and she is part of a short-term team traveling to Mexico in May.
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