Overcoming Grief

 DAILY VITAMIN

-  Overcoming Grief

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

The scripture tells us that no man can truly know the happiness of another man, nor his grief, because only the bereaved or the joyous bears the brunt of the experience (Pro 14:10 TLB). Grief, on one hand, is a complicated feeling, set in motion by some sort of loss that seems larger than life itself. For example, the loss of a child, partner, business; with each coming at varying degrees. In that case, it would be absurd to assume I understand how such a person feels. It is impossible; outrightly impossible. Perhaps have an idea of it, but never the exact entent of his pain. I cannot, I repeat, I cannot know what the other man who losses his child suffers even if I had suffered the same fate; because people suffer differently. Some worse than others.

But there is a common way to beat the grief.

Let's learn from an instance in scripture. Consider Job, a man terribly dealt with by grief. In his pain, he admitted: "He also shall be my salvation" (Job 13:16) Another of such men is Jeremiah. A man who cursed the day he was born, yet he wrote that God's thoughts of him are always of good, to give him a great ending (Jer 29:11). Both of these men found strength in God; on which authority I can also say that the strength you need is in God. No one can replace that loss of yours, whatever it is, but God can replace your mourning with joy (Isa 61:3). HE can heal that broken heart; give you a reason to go on and bloom again. No one else can do that, nothing else can, just HE. The drugs and the alcohol may numb the odd feelings for a while, but only for a while. Only God can comfort you with joy again and have it last forever.

Consider Job again; the end of his story tells of his latter joys. It might not have erased his prior history with grief, but it did give him a new lease of life to create a much better history. the same can be your story. Lean on God and it will.