Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
What would you say to someone who has lost a loved one? Would you say anything? Please share with my readers about an experience you've had with grief or an experience you've had comforting someone else.
The holiday season is especially difficult for those who have lost loved ones, which if you've lived very long at all, most likely includes you. How has God comforted you during your time of loss?
I'd love to see this post filled with encouraging comments from readers who have "been there."
4 comments:
For years my husband and I have asked people - right then, on the spot, "Would it be okay if we pray about this with you right now?" As I recall, we've had only one "no" and oh, what a difference this makes over patting a shoulder and saying, "I'll pray for you." But to get back to your encouraging idea, Eileen, when it comes to looking for other people to pray for us or finding the strongest pray-ers in a prayer group, we seek those who have suffered! The prayers of Christians who have been through terrible times seem to have a super-potent level of wisdom and strength, and it’s no wonder. Their faith has been tested big time! More importantly, they’ve learned how to relax into God’s good timing and love.
Just yesterday I had a conversation with a dear man whose adult son committed suicide about a month ago. This grieving dad told me about spending several hours with his son just a few days before he took his life and shared that they had talked and laughed and really had a nice visit. He also shared his feelings of guilt over not having foreseen his son's actions and over not being able to have done something more to help his son. I guess my words of comfort went more to the point that my friend is not responsible for his son's actions. I know the dad tried to help his son in a number of ways prior to this, and was able to remind him of the things he had done to help to show him that there was nothing more he could have done. I gave him a hug and let him know I was still praying for him. His sorrow was so evident as tears spilled out although he tried to hold them back. I think my willingness to just listen and let him talk about it helped him.
I remember when I was the one receiving the comfort and affirmation. My mom had just died very suddenly of a brain aneurysm and we were all in total shock. At her viewing, my son took me outside the funeral home to look at the fountain and he pointed to a rainbow created by the mist of the water shining in the sunlight. "You know everything's going to be okay, right?" I asked him. "I do now," he said, nodding to the rainbow. His faith strengthened my faith and at the same time reminded me that by reading all those Bible stories about Noah's ark, I'd helped build his faith in the first place, just as my mom had done for me. It was a beautiful moment in the midst of our grief.
Wow, ladies, what wisdom you bring to this topic!
Insight, prayers, sweetness, tears . . .
You encouraged me this morning!
Thank you.
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