Tuesday, July 05, 2005

There Can Be No Comfort Where There Is No Grief

My dear friend Candz shared with me the following insight that she read from a devotional, which put a smile on my face and blessed me.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. -- Matthew 5:4
Mourning and being blessed at the same time seem contradictory, but they're not. Simply put, there can be no comfort where there is no grief. God promises to be "the God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3).

We also find comfort in the promises of God's Word: "we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).
And, of course, we are comforted by friends and loved ones (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Here are three simple guidelines that will help you work through grief.
Guideline 1: Externalize your grief. Cry and tell someone about how you feel.
Guideline 2: Internalize your faith. What your heart feels might challenge some things that your mind knows are true.
Guideline 3: Eternalize your hope. Paul reminds the Thessalonians, who had lost loved ones, that Christ will return and our bodies will again rise from the grave (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

hmmm....but i'm still grabbling with guideline 2!



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