This hurricane season has been
busy. Four, count’em, four tropical storms in one season. They have not been
bad locally. However other parts of our area have suffered flooding and downed
trees. This last one Julia is still wandering around and just this morning
(Thursday) CEMA is forecasting a return to shore in our area Sunday (I will
update you later on that prophesy). I must admit I don’t want to do that again.
Yes, we are prepared (well almost). Yes, the previous storms have not been bad
at all for us. All of that being said, this one could be different. Life is
like that. All of the preparation in the world comes down to riding the storm
out (REO Speedwagon) and dealing with the aftermath.
A story on the CBS program 60
minutes last Sunday has bothered me all week. The piece was well reported, well
done so it is not the mechanics of reporting or editorial bias nor the subject
matter. It was about gold star parents (parents who have lost children in
military service particularly since 9/11). The story brought to light the
efforts being made to help these folks in their loss. Especially on the part of
blue star parents (parents who have children still serving). What has bothered
me all week is the nagging question are all those efforts were helping them
with the grief or facilitating their stagnation in their grief?
The obvious answer is to make
sure no other parent/family ever has to go through the loss of a child. There
is hope one day Jesus will make that happen. That day is coming. But, it is not
here yet and we live in a world infested, infected and affected by sin. The reality
for the time being is parents will lose children. Death not just in military
service but by disease, accident, defect, drugs you name it. It is going to
happen. So my question is how do we help these people and families and not
facilitate their stagnation in grief? I wish this was definitive but it is a
work in progress.
This morning my wife said, “God
is God over Google.” She gave me permission to use this (thanks). If He is God
over Google then he is God over everything even grief. That of course leads to
why and I refer you to the above answer regarding sin. But God never leaves us
dangling in the wind. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. We have that in writing.
However he does not take away the pain either. Now we want that pain gone. But pain
identifies us with others in a unique fraternity. It gives us authority and
experience in their eyes. Experience you would not wish on anyone but real and undeniable
none-the-less. Once connected we would like to take the burden off of these
folks and they would like us to do it too. But we cannot and God does not. What
we can do is comfort them as we have been comforted.
4 He comforts us in all our affliction,
so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction,
through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4
HCSB
God’s
example is to walk with them. Be there for them when they hurt and when they
are happy. No, it’s not easy nor fun and at times we don’t want to do it but it
is healing. No, it is not a short commitment but a marathon maybe even and Iron
Man type connection. Come to think of it, Jesus is the Iron Man!
In
HIS service and yours,
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