RELEASE THE GRIEF

“Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8 NLT).

A lot of times, our response to someone who is sad or crying is “Don’t cry or don’t be sad” when actually that is what they are and need to do. I know I am guilty of that as being the self-serving selfish human I am. I just want to not feel so sad for them anymore. Their hurt and tears I want to fix but a little part of me is scared by their hurt knowing hurt will come my way in some future time.

The Bible says that when we go through a season of loss that we are to “release our grief.” That does not mean not doing it but to work through it to get it out and onto the other side of the event.

Tragedy produces strong emotions. We may feel anger, depression, fear, worry and guilt. These feelings scare us. Again, that is why we want to suppress them sometimes. We often though, don’t know what to do with them. We have had a major loss and these emotions bubble up to the surface. We have to deal with them now, or it is going to be a long recovery.

Most of us do not deal with grief, we push it down, stuff it away and try to reason that if we ignore it that it will go away. I pretended it wasn’t there. I just pretended it did not exist. I was fine! And as long as I did that, the more I struggled with it and the harder it was to eventually admit it and work it out……..an ongoing process I might add!! Some people who stuff it away are still struggling with the stress of it emotionally some 25-30 years after the fact.

We are told that God wants us to walk around all bright eyed, full of happiness, and laughter all the time with a permanent smile etched on our face. We are always to feel like shouting Praise the Lord!! If only that is how it worked.

Jesus said in Matthew 5: 4 that “God blesses those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” NLT

IT IS OK TO GRIEVE

AS CHRISTIANS, WE GRIEVE THAT WE WILL MISS THEM…..BUT ARE AT PEACE KNOWING THEY ARE WITH GOD.

So, what are we to do with these feelings? For most the answer has been to repress and stuff them….WRONG ANSWER

Release them! GIVE THEM TO GOD. Cry out “GOD, I’M HURT, I’M GRIEVING! THIS HAS BEEN TOUGH ON ME GOD.”

I enjoy the Psalms where David pours out and spills his guts to God over and over. We can cry out to God just like David did!

The verse today says for us to pour out our heart to God because he is our refuge….our sanctuary…our shelter and protection…our safe harbor!....Pour it ALL out. EMPTY it out. Then God can begin to heal your heart.

IF WE DON’T RELEASE THE GRIEF, THEY WILL POUR OUT SOMEHOW AND IF WE DON’T DO IT OUR WAY THEY COULD EXPLODE IN WAYS THAT ARE FAR WORSE.

RELEASE THE GRIEF TO GET GOD’S RELIEF!!!!!

“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” C.S. Lewis