Encouragement: The Importance of Grief

The Importance of Grief

Grief is the process that helps us release our pain and losses to God. In it we come to terms with our past and find freedom to live in the reality of the present. It also lays the ground work for our hope for the future. When we harden our hearts and refuse to grieve over pain, we make it difficult to progress in our spiritual renewal. We see that God honored the tears and grief of Jerusalem. He will also honor our honesty as we share our pain with Him. Then He will bring healing for the present and hope for the future.

The Pain fo Consequences
God does not always protect us from the consequences of our attitudes and behaviors. Through them we learn to accept responsibility for the mistakes we have made. Then our spiritual growth can continue.

The Gift of our Emotions
Emotions flow from the core of our being. If we have developed a pattern of denying or hiding our feelings, we will lose the sense of who we really are. Jeremiah shows us that we have nothing to fear in bringing even our most raw or embarassing emotions to God. The more honest we are about how we feel, the more completely we will become involved in our relationship with God and with others.

Forgiveness- A way of Life
Jeremiah, in the book of Lamentations, finished his grieving and turned to God to seek forgiveness. The book ends with a question of remorse, "Are you angry with us still?" Behind this question is Jeremiah's humility, coupled with his hope that God will start the process toward reconciliation and forgiveness. Jeremiah knew God's heart, so he knew that God would forgive. If we truly repent of our sins, we ca be sure that God will forgive us, too, no matter how great our sins and failures. We need to come humbly before Him and place our lives in His strong, gentle hands. Amen.

" Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction." . Lamentations 3:21-22.

Be Encouraged,

A.Othniel
(ww.aothniel.net)

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