to mourn
I have had a rough month and a half. Many things have happened. Many things have not happened. The best way I can think to describe what I have been going through is deep mourning. The what of that is a good question; one which I will probably not answer in this post because it is a very complicated answer.
The how of it is really more what this post is about. How do we mourn? How do we stay joyful in that?
Ecclesiastes states that there is a time and a season for everything under Heaven, including a time to mourn, so how do we encounter and glorify God through a season of mourning?
In Matthew, Jesus says that blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. How do we experience God's comfort when we mourn?
I cannot speak for everyone. I can merely share what my experience has been. I don't know what mourning looks like for everyone. I only know what it looks like in my life.
Solitude has been very important for me. I have retreated from most people because I can't put on a face in front of people and act like everything is okay, because it isn't. I will be okay, but right now I'm not. That is hard for me to share with people, so I have stepped back.
Having people who I know are a safe place and a refuge for me has also been important. Having people in whose presence I can rest, and who I know have my back has allowed me space without being completely shut off from people.
Work has been a huge blessing because it has given me something to do so that even if I do nothing else that day, I have gone to work and accomplished something. I also moved into my own place after having roommates/family sharing my space for the last 25 years. That has given me a lot to do in the last couple of weeks.
Mostly, though, what has sustained me and carried me is worship. The most powerful worship is that which comes out of the place of pain. To worship God when we see our life circumstances as good and pleasant is easy. To worship God declaring that He is good when we don't see our life circumstances as good is the most powerful statement of God's goodness. It declares our faith in His goodness.
Faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the assurance of things not seen. To worship in pain is a bold declaration of faith and trust in God.
So I have been worshiping. I have been singing. I have been crying. I have been painting. I have been writing poetry. I have been declaring my faith and my trust in God because I know that I will come out of this season of mourning into a season of dancing.
The how of it is really more what this post is about. How do we mourn? How do we stay joyful in that?
Ecclesiastes states that there is a time and a season for everything under Heaven, including a time to mourn, so how do we encounter and glorify God through a season of mourning?
In Matthew, Jesus says that blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. How do we experience God's comfort when we mourn?
I cannot speak for everyone. I can merely share what my experience has been. I don't know what mourning looks like for everyone. I only know what it looks like in my life.
Solitude has been very important for me. I have retreated from most people because I can't put on a face in front of people and act like everything is okay, because it isn't. I will be okay, but right now I'm not. That is hard for me to share with people, so I have stepped back.
Having people who I know are a safe place and a refuge for me has also been important. Having people in whose presence I can rest, and who I know have my back has allowed me space without being completely shut off from people.
Work has been a huge blessing because it has given me something to do so that even if I do nothing else that day, I have gone to work and accomplished something. I also moved into my own place after having roommates/family sharing my space for the last 25 years. That has given me a lot to do in the last couple of weeks.
Mostly, though, what has sustained me and carried me is worship. The most powerful worship is that which comes out of the place of pain. To worship God when we see our life circumstances as good and pleasant is easy. To worship God declaring that He is good when we don't see our life circumstances as good is the most powerful statement of God's goodness. It declares our faith in His goodness.
Faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the assurance of things not seen. To worship in pain is a bold declaration of faith and trust in God.
So I have been worshiping. I have been singing. I have been crying. I have been painting. I have been writing poetry. I have been declaring my faith and my trust in God because I know that I will come out of this season of mourning into a season of dancing.
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