Grieving is a part of life, but that doesn’t mean it’s something we need to dread. There is a purpose for times of grieving in our lives. Our Bible Journaling verse today says, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 ESV) At first glance, we can wonder, “Why is sorrow better than laughter?” In our human thinking, it makes no sense. But it is through grieving that we find something of immense value! We find out that we are not alone in our grief, God is right there with us, and He sees us!
While working on my Bible Journaling, I had Christian music playing, and the song, “He Sees You” by Terrian was playing. The lyrics caught my attention. She sings about different circumstances in our lives and encourages us by singing, “He sees you, He sees you, oh and He knows your future, so He’s pulling you close. He is your defender; I know He sees you; He sees you.” What encouragement! I genuinely believe that God specifically had me hear this song so that I could bring a glimmer of hope to someone who may be going through a grieving time. For that person, God sees you! He knows what you are feeling, and He is right there, ready to wrap His arms around you and bring you comfort and a safe place to rest.
In my own life, I found a realization during my grieving that I didn’t have beforehand. Even though I knew in my head that God would be with me and support me during my time of grief, it wasn’t until I had to go through the experience of grieving that I understood and felt His unfailing arms around me. As much as I didn’t want to go through that experience, I learned just how faithful He is, and I learned how I could trust and rely upon Him through the entire process of grieving. He never left me to be by myself in my grief, He stayed with me, teaching me that I could go on and life wouldn’t just stop. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18 NASB 1995)
It is true that we learn and grow in the valley more than we do on the mountaintop. Hardship and grief have ways of showing us what we need to learn. Maybe it is something about ourselves, it could be learning how to have a closer relationship with Jesus, perhaps we need to learn how to do things on our own, or it could be any number of things. During that season God has us in the schoolroom to teach us what we need to learn, and He knows what we need before we even know.
He wants to reach out to us and help us grow in our walk with Him, and He wants us to come to Him when life seems completely out of control. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 28-30 KJV)
In my time of grieving, I found out that when I gave God all the pain I was carrying, He took it all upon Himself, picked me up, and carried me when I couldn’t stand. He saw me in my grief! He didn’t leave me alone to deal with it by myself, He walked me through the full process of grieving. I learned that I could do everyday things with His help, and that I wouldn’t drown in my sorrow in the middle of it, and I learned how very much He loves me!
For those who are in the middle of a season of grieving, I want you to know that God sees you in your grief and pain. He’s waiting for you to run to Him and pour your heart out to Him. Let Him comfort and teach you. Allow Him to show you what a loving Father He is. He will hold you tightly to Himself and let you know how very much He loves you.
donnasmusings 