Grief is defined as “deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone's death”, however I feel as if that does not cover the vast amount of things that we find ourselves grieving over.
This series is all about our hearts. Sadly grief is a process in which our hearts have to find peace after death, break ups, losing friends, or overcoming losing a piece of ourselves in an unexpected situation. When we come to a place of grief in our lives it can be hard to see God’s presence. Psalm 34:18 reads this…”The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. Ladies! GOD is more powerful than any “stages of grief” self help book. In this blog I want to help you all understand that grieving is natural, but God’s love is the rock that you can cling to in order to have a firm foundation to build your life on after the storm. Luckily I was born in time to meet all of my grandparents and both of my great grandmothers. The first death I remember experiencing was my dad’s mother, Grammy. At a young four years old I remember recognizing who she was. My grammy loved Jesus and her family in that order. At four years old I didn’t understand death and I definitely didn't know what grief was, however this was the first memory of loss that I had. As I grew up I was fortunate enough to grow closer to my grandparents and never was the kid who didn’t want to spend time with “the old folk”. The next death I faced that was the hardest for me was my Maw Maw. You see Maw Maw and I weren’t always close. As she got older she needed more help around the house, so naturally, as Grammy taught us, we rallied together as a family to make life as convenient as possible for her. Maw Maw was my great grandmother who knew everything you needed to know about life. The more time I spent around the house with her the more I saw her as a friend. We talked for hours on the phone, ate together, and she would even give me relationship advice. When Maw Maw got sick I was terrified because I knew what was to come. She was in her 90s, very weak, and was having much more intimate conversations with me. Here I was, 16 years old, and I was losing my best friend. It was around 4am and I heard my dad’s phone ring, no words were spoken...there was just a sign and a hug. I never thought at 16 years old my favorite activities would be going to dollar tree for hours, eating honey buns, and helping fold hundreds of Life is Good shirts. My Maw Maw shaped my career path, helped me see how good God is, and taught me that friendship can come from unexpected places. THIS was grief, this feeling I felt in Gibsonville, North Carolina at the same church Maw Maw learned about Jesus. Matthew 6:19-34 is a piece of scripture that has shaped the idea of recovery to me. "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." This passage has given me a sense of peace as I have lost more incredible people in my life like my Papa and PopPop. These two men taught me very different things. Papa taught me that making other people laugh was one of the most beautiful ways to bring joy into the world and that being a little unordinary makes you extraordinary. My PopPop taught me how to work hard and provide for my family even when it’s not easy. Both of these men’s lives reflected stories of steadfastness in God and recovery. Matthew 6 emphasizes that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but God provides for the smallest creatures so He will provide peace for His children. Death is hard to grieve, but the understanding of Jesus provides comfort in Earthly pain. As we go through this series together I want you all to remember that grief is a natural reaction to loss of both the living and non living individuals in your life. Remember that God is constant and cares for His children. -SR
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