weekly Encouragement: Take Time to Grieve
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"... a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,..." (Ecclesiastes 3:3)

As I was in the boarding lounge of the Mumbai airport waiting to take a flight to Belgamum this morning, I read in the Times of India, how Singapore was  bidding farewell with tears to its founding father and h0w present PM and his son, was trying to hold back teard at the funeral service. Whole country mourning for a man who changed the very history and is credited with creating the modern Singapore!

i have reached safely my hometown to visit and comfort my grieving sister and her family as she lost her husband recetly. It may take some time, perhaps, to overcome the sorrow and pain of missing someone so close and intimate person in the family.

Some people can never come out of their grief. There are so many like this who are grieving over the loss of their beloved ones. Some are grieving over the breakdown of relationship and so on. For some it is uncontrollable. Some may never overcome it till their own death. Here are some interesting and comforting observations from real life stories.

We need to understand that each person’s timetable for healing is different. All loss is not the same loss. All grief is not the same grief. Someone may ask: "How long would it take for the words, ‘Go on with my life,’ to drift through my consciousness?" The answer is, lots of time. Years, maybe. Society wants you to get over it and get on with your life, but God understands the process it will take to heal (Ecclesiastes 3:3).

King David’s grief for his deceased infant child was different than the grief for his grown son Absalom. He seemingly resolved the grief of one loss rather quickly, while the death of Absalom all but took the life out of David. Why?

God understands that even though we may have buried a loved one, we cannot bury our feelings. We need time to vent—and invent ways of coping with the loss in our lives.

God records in His Word that people in biblical days were in no hurry to rush through the process of grief.

Neither should you. God helps you to find comfort and peace in the midst of any tragedy or loss, so you can go on with life walking with God in the light of His Word. He heals and binds the broken hearted and sets captives free. He releases the pain and pressure in your life, as you surrender to Him and submit to His perfect plans for your life. He knows what is best for you because He alone knows your future like no one else! Wait on Him to see you through!!

Be Encouraged.

A.Othniel

><> Letter #11 (29. 3. 2015)