Reminders for those in Transition

Hello Ladies,

I hope all is well with you today.

As one day ends and a new one begins, I pray that you choose to rest in the Lord today.

Grief has become another funny word in my vocabulary. I find that the way the world thinks about grief and the way we think about grief is so different. When we think about what the concept of what grieving is, we often associate it with being negative. It's as if grief is always something to fear. But can I challenge you this week to believe the opposite. For myself, as well: grief is just another form of love.

Over the last couple of months, I have been taking a step back to hear from the Lord. And as always, He continues to lead me to exactly what I need to hear. Now I want to share the same message with you.

A New Perspective on Grief

Have you ever thought about what it feels like to have the world sitting on top of your shoulders, only to fall on you at the most unexpected moment? Maybe that isn’t you and you knew the inevitable was going to happen, but once it did you still found yourself feeling sad about it?

The truth is as much as we try to avoid pain, we never realize how much that pain forces to take off the blinders and see things for what they are. God operates on truth, but not in the

”truth” we tell ourselves. The truth we tell is for us. We tell what I like to call “partial truths" in order to feel safe or better in our discomfort both for ourselves and those we may experience. We can always, however, count on God to tell us the guilt-free truth, even if we don't always want to hear it.

Paul's letter to the church in Corinth expressed in 2 Corinthians 7-15 CSB explains it like this:

For Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation [without regret]. But worldly grief produces death. Consider how much diligence that this thing - this grieving [as God wills] has produced in you; a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice in every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter. So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong or because of the one who was wrong, but in order that you devotion might be made plain to you in the sight of God.

When shifting through moments of loss, we tend to focus on the things that we are being asked to give up as if means the end of the world. In some ways, that can be true. Although, this doesn’t excuse the pain of losing something you once cherished, James challenges us to see the situations in our lives with a fresh pair of eyes. This means being able to recognize and understand that living out our faith means having to move through situations where the only thing you can do is hold into the truth of God‘s Word that assures us that we will get to where we need to be. It is in God‘s word we learn to depend less on the fragility of our humanness and more on His Godliness.

I know that task can sound daunting at times, but life gets costly when we miss out on opportunities for God to lead us into our next blessing by trying to make sense of it with our human eyes.

Grief Gives You Something to Look Forward To (James 1:4 CSB)

Consider it great joy my brothers and sisters whenever you experience various trials because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing. James 1:4 CSB

I don’t know how many times I’ve attempted to avoid sitting in my emotions because I was too busy trying to move to the next thing. Where as God was inviting me to sit in my discomfort because there was something He was desiring to show me that I didn’t want to see. Looking back, I can see how crazy that sounded. I mean what kind of person would I be if I asked God to take away the very thing that He is using to bless me? I know how noble. The reality is that without having to face feelings such as discomfort and uncertainty, neither you or I wouldn’t appreciate God as much as we do.

And if you're anything like me, you get comfortable running away. You get comfortable turning a blind eye from situations that require you to be honest with yourself. The thing is though God doesn't always judge us harshly when we act in ways that aren't always the best. Instead, He gently tugs on your heart strings and moves your spirit as He peels back the layers, little by little, until all that was hidden is exposed. But like a parent, what we view as judgement or condemnation is apart of His righteousness. God's love is always aparent even in his rebuke. Once that happens, you'll slowly come face to face with your reward.

Grief has its Own Reward (James 1:12-13 CSB)

12 Blessed is the one who endures because when he has stood the test. He will receive the crown of glory that God has promised to those who love him; 13 No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God since God is not tempted by evil and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each of us are tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his evil desire.

Grief is often disguised as punishment, even in situations where the suffering is caused by our own sinfulness. Even then, God still reassures us that in our anguish, we are not only still blessed, but will be rewarded for our faith. I don’t believe it gets any better than that. God is a man who does not lie. He prides Himself on dealing fairly with His children. It is our job to remain faithful and trusting in the things that he gives and what he takes away. It is also our job to believe God for exactly what He says. He needs to know you believe Him for the more even when you can't see it. He knows exactly when to reveal something to you and when to hold back. He won’t do it any earlier or any later because He knows he’s going to need you to be ready for when time comes.

Grief requires us to be in a Posture of Surrender (John 15:1-8 CSB)

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. Every branch that does not produce fruit He removes and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will prince more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples.

It's important to note that sometimes letting go of your expectations of how things should be is just as necessary as believing for what God said is for you. Acquiring that skill, leads to a joy that only the Lord can give. So, as you may be struggling to move through some murky waters, we should remain both hopeful and grateful for the peace that surpasses all understanding, for the promise that doesn't expire, for the hand that doesn't let go and the strength that is made perfect in weakness. For the grace of God will sustain us in our time of need.

Ummeasurable Grief Leads to Unspeakeable Joy (John 15: 9-11 CSB)

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

Grief broadens your Perspective & Leads to Freedom (Philippians 3:7-9 CSB)

7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ. 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ ​— ​the righteousness from God based on faith. Philippians 3:7-9

...Philippians 3:12-14 CSB)

12 Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

Let this serve as a reminder: Nothing that happens in your life is a surprise to God. Your life is not over because God's redeeming power is still at work! Your life ends & begins at the cross!

As this post comes to an end, I would like to leave you with this: Never in a million years would I ever have thought that I would be standing on promises that I've begged and pleaded and cried to God for. It's funny because we stop believing and expecting that these things we want would never come. But God has a funny way of surprising us each time like “I knew you were gonna come through!" So while you wait, I pray that this post acts as a anchor to your heart and soul and that you can experience the peace that comes from trusting in the Lord.

If you enjoyed this blog post comment "NOT OVER" to come into agreement with God that you are in fact VICTORIOUS over your circumstances because of His selfless victory on the cross.