By David Coy
Sunrise
There was a song years ago I remember a phrase within – I never promised you a rose garden. How true that is in life. We think that we will live our life to an old age, that our children will outlive us and bad things are not supposed to happen to good people, but none of that is true necessarily. We are guaranteed to live once (Hebrews 9:27). While I can not imagine how painful it must be to experience multiple losses in a brief period, there is one person of history who knows how that feels. His name is Job. In one day he lost oxen and donkeys to bandits and lightning killed his sheep. Another group of thieves stole his Camels, and a strong wind from the desert came and hit the four corners of the house where his sons and daughters were eating and drinking, and all ten died as the house collapsed in on them, (Job 1:13-19). Grief is usually composed traumatic loss and is painful. Upon hearing this Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, (Job 1:20, a sign of great sorrow in ancient times).
His friends came to comfort him and for seven days sat with him not saying a word, “…for they saw his pain was very great.” (Job 2:13) Job’s lament was very great indeed; he even bemoans it would have been better to have died at birth, than to experience this misery, (3:11). If we reach the depth of despair or depression, I pray we are not walking our journey with sorrow alone. We do not need to be alone. Job was not alone, and he did not give up. He struggled mightily and his friends began well in their motive of comfort but quickly turned into a blame game. Sometimes people think they are helping by things they say or do when in truth they hurt. Support needs to be tempered with wisdom and or compassion.
I look forward to seeing you in grief support group.
