Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance.” Isolation is a natural response to suffering the loss of a loved one. It is difficult to concentrate which makes driving somewhat perilous. Frequent …
Learning to Sit with Grief
Learning To Sit With Grief and Be Okay with It i’m not always the best at knowing how to handle grieving. i’m honestly kind of awkward in those situations and rarely know what to say. but i’m learning how to sit with people in their grief. i’m currently working as a personal care assistant and sitting with an elderly lady is a lot of what my days consist of. there’s days we talk, and days we’re content with sitting in the silence. for someone who’s lost so many people in life as she has, grief often cast its shadow over her …
By Love
Scripture: John 13:35 – “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV) Message: “That girl taught me more about love in three days than I had ever known.” – A church camp volunteer That’s the legacy that Lila Kate left upon this big beautiful world that is tainted with the nastiness of sin. The young boy who made this comment was a church camp volunteer who the McAlisters were apparently a host family for one summer. During his short stay, he experienced in a big way that of which we all crave. Love. He …
The Greatest is Love
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 – “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (ESV) Message: God used Lila to teach me not only that your best friend doesn’t have to be the same age as you (I was in 8th grade when our paths crossed and she wasn’t yet one year old), or even attain the same numbers of chromosomes as you (she had Down Syndrome). …
Even Then…
Scripture: Romans 5:8 – “…God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (ESV) Message: “Sometimes we may not be able to see the silver lining behind the dark cloud. But the cross is evidence that it’s there.”(J. D. Greear/ Not God Enough) Our human tendency, especially in the midst of pain is to question God. Our questions might be similar but not limited to; “Where are you, God?, “Why, God?”, and “How long, God?” In my opinion, these questions are fine when asked in the right respect. In fact, we see all through the Bible …
God’s Love and Faithfulness
Scripture: Psalm 36:4 – “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.” Message: My grief journey has been coated with God’s enduring love and faithfulness. Yes, to this day (almost 6 years later) I yearn for those days with that beautiful, spunky, and just almost perfect Lila Kate! Yes, to this day I still fall into tangles with my rush of emotions and those waves still crash with those gloomy days (even though the sun shines brightly). And yes, it’s at times still frustrating during those little spells (especially with my outgoing and bubbly personality) but over …
Big Wave and Bigger Love
Scripture: Psalms 107:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord; for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever” Message: The same song of which the Israelites sang before they saw victory over their enemy is pictured within the Psalms (107, 118, and 136). Which for a side note; the book of Psalms has literally been a lifeline to me along the grief journey. The rays of emotions are noteworthy especially to anyone struggling. But within this particular Psalm one can gather that no one and no circumstance is too far out of God’s reach. There are about 6 different examples of people who have …
In the Trenches of Grief
I recently lost a cousin of mine to suicide. As you can imagine it was a complete shock not only to his immediate family, but everyone who was ever blessed with his presence. He was a warm-hearted person with a lively spirit. Anyone you ask would say he always had a smile on his face and was a very happy-go-lucky kind of guy. When I first heard of the way he passed, my heart instantly broke! I knew all too well the pain they were feeling. Twelve years ago, I lost my dad to suicide. Twelve years ago, I …
Hidden Grief
Hey friends! I really wanted to write something light hearted today. But after praying and giving it a lot of thought, I felt strongly that God wanted me to share with you about grief, particularly “hidden” grief. Hidden grief is a deep sadness we carry with us daily. It’s buried underneath smiles, productivity, serving and even laughter, but it’s always there under the surface. It can feel as if someone has strapped a backpack full of heavy bricks onto our back. The heaviness is overwhelming at first, but eventually we become so accustomed to the weight of it that we …
Seek the Lord Through Confession
Six Steps to finding God when you’re living in a crisis Step 2 Seek the Lord When you are in a season of crisis and want to find God, it’s important to proactively seek him. Once you have calmed your mind, (Step 1 of this series) seeking him becomes easier. When we are seeking God and want to feel his presence, we are searching for a sense that there is reciprocal communication. We want to know our prayers are heard and we want to sense God’s response back to us in our lives. Sin blocks communication with our holy …