What a week. Just when you think you have started to move on, the road gets muddy. I am able to sing in church and not tear up over most songs. I can share my experience with the death of my husband without crying. I can look at his picture every night before I close my eyes and not be sad. Then the assassination of Charlie and BAM… I cry for two days. I do know all about the lost feeling that young wife is experiencing, and I am wiping off the tear stains on my shirt.
Experiencing the death of someone you love is awful enough. Him being murdered is a whole new thing.
My point this week is, you never know when death will intrude your life, its usually sudden when you are then sentenced to be on grief row. How we each adjust is unique to every individual. Our reactions and attitudes are driven by so many things. We try to adjust and take a step at a time, and I think it would be difficult to be isolated, but to have lots of folks rejoicing would be very hard to endure. I have shared before how I hated it when people asked me how I was, and I didn’t know how to answer because I really didn’t know. Erika is up against lots of evil, daily and in her face.
The bright side, (if there is one), is that Erika knows where Charlie is and she also knows Jesus personally. That is the lining of the storm that holds those of us who are bible believers together. Please join me in prayer this week for the millions of widows who are on this long unchartered path for the first time.
Let me include this; if your personal grief journey is caused by death of a parent, child or sibling, divorce or loss of a pet…pain is pain and feeling crushed is the same. Lean into Jesus and trust he will carry you through. Charlie said “when you are feeling totally overwhelmed or sad, turn off your phone, read your bible and hug a loved one.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23