When we have been struck with a tragedy it seems far easier at first to allow ourselves to feel the emotions of sadness, sorrow, anger and loss. As we go one though we begin to feel as if we are suppose to somehow remove ourselves from those feeling, as if to experience them is a sign of weakness and unfaithfulness to God. Some good intended Christians will say, “Be strong in the Lord and trust that He will get you through this.” In others words, they may be saying to deny those feelings and get on with life. Grief is no way a sign of weakness but in contrary it is a sign of strength. Those who experience grieve and allow themselves to feel those emotions, without stuffing them are the ones who are strong in the Lord. God never intended us to push aside the pain. He is not the Lord of the strong who get through things with a smile on their face. In my opinion those who get through the tough times with a smile on their face don’t walk through the pain and sadness but avoid it at all cost. Pain is a part of life, God is not the God who avoids, He is the God of the weak, meek and hurting. He doesn’t expect us to avoid the hurt of life, He desires us to lean on Him during these times even when other want us to rush though or forget our pain. Maybe their desire isn’t about us getting through this time but more about not being reminded of their own pain. If we don’t feel it, God can’t heal it. And if we don’t feel it, we will just avoid it, medicate it, or run from it. But it is still there, waiting for us to walk through it. It doesn’t just go away, we need to embrace it. And in doing so it loses it power over us.
When I am going through a time of despair, or hurting I am reminded of a saying by Charles Spurgeon, it says, “Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross, not that you may escape it but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow. Remember that, and expect to suffer.” It takes more faith and hope to walk through the hurt and sorrow then it does to believe God is going to take it all away. He is not the Lord of sidestepping our suffering, or the Lord of walking around it. He is the Lord who will walk you through and hold your hand as you cry, hurt and feel overwhelmed by it. As Psalm 23 says, “Thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.” Today God wants to walk with you through and in your pain. Will you walk with Him today? Will you allow Him to have what you know is hard and painful? Giving it over to Him doesn’t mean it goes away, it means joining Him in it; experiencing Him in the sorrow, allowing Him to comfort you as you go through the experience. It is not foreign to Him, He saw His Son nailed to a cross to suffer for our salvation. He is not an emotionless God who is distant but one who has experienced first hand what suffering, pain and loss is all about.
Two words come to mind when I think of this subject, they are grace and joy. Grace is given not only in regards to forgiveness but also to help us to endure hardships. To help us endure persecutions, tribulations and the pains of life that we all experience. Joy on the other hand is not a smile on the face when you think of all the blessings you have. Or thinking somehow this won’t happen to me. Scripture says “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” As Jesus walked through the streets of Jerusalem carrying His cross to Calvary He didn’t have a smile on His face, thinking that’s what a faithful man does. He openly was hurting, crying and suffering. The joy was that at the end of this time of hurting, He would glorify God in His pain, not by avoiding it. He knew after it was over He would bring His children home with Him. You stand at a crossroads today, will you pick up your cross to follow Him or will you avoid the cross to escape the grief? In one way we place our faith in His providence and care that He will not walk away from us even when we hurt so bad we don’t feel His presence. While the other road is not to only avoid the pain, but to avoid the One who can walk with us through it. Do we identify with Him with a cross or exclude Him? The choice is your today. In no way am I saying it is an easy choice. It is a daily choice we all have to make, but one that has to be made. Is He the Lord of our whole life, emotional pain and all, or is He the Lord of the good emotions only? Do we call Him LORD, or do we call Him lord?
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