I swallowed the bitter pill,
And it became sweet in my mouth.
I lowered myself,
And I was exalted.
I forgave my prison warden
(from the prison that I and others had built for me),
And I was liberated.
I cried tears of grief,
And God put a new song in my mouth.
Was there some comfort
I could have given here?
A song to sing,
That could have stopped the tears?
Did I not smile,
Nor give a fond embrace,
When sadness threatened
Or sorrow creased your face?
Did I ignore you
When you were so forlorn?
Or turn away
When you by men were scorned?
How does one soul
Give solace to another?
How can one person
A broken heart uncover?
Then gently heal,
As surgeon of the heart –
At first some pain,
But mending then does start.
[“When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found
them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, “Why are you
sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
(Luke 22:45-46)]
As darkness falls,
Do we sleep from grief,
Or weariness –
Discouragement deep?
Or cynicism,
Or harsh derision,
Or is our sleep
Another kind?
Brought on by drugs,
Or too much wine?
From entertainment,
TV time?
Or trying to end
Our emptiness
With false romance
Or casual sex?
No matter why
We’re sleeping now,
Must ask for grace
To wake somehow –
To take up cross,
Accept all loss
Of worldly glory –
Must tell the story
Of Jesus’ love,
His always-love.
Let grace come in,
Fill souls within.
Our peace receive,
And let grief sleep.
[On the passing of my friend Martha]
Goodbye, my friend,
Until we meet again.
When sorrow runs its painful course,
There will be joy again.
Goodbye, my friend,
Who bravely bore your pain,
Who wandered earth in brokenness
And still could wear a grin.
Goodbye, my friend,
Sometimes I hardly knew
What went on, inside your mind
Or what you had been through.
Goodbye, my friend —
We didn’t see eye to eye
On many things, but still it seems
In gardens we could smile.
Goodbye, my friend;
We’ll meet again someday.
Your body healed, our friendship sealed,
And love will ever stay.
When your candle’s barely burning,
When your breath is just a sigh,
Step out into the darkness —
Lift your prayer to God on high.
Remember how He loves you
Amidst your fear and sin;
Remember how He died for you
And did the victory win.
He’ll carry you in darkness,
He’ll comfort you in grief.
He’ll give you all you ever need
If you’ll just trust in Him.
And if you don’t feel trusting,
If doubt and fear creep in,
Just let it go, give Him control,
Just give it all to Him.
Selfless Love
Jesus, Mary and Joseph are amazing examples of selfless love Even in the midst of great joy, grief, pain, or challenges, they thought of the welfare of others.
Mary, upon learning that she would conceive Jesus the Messiah, the son of God, went off to help her cousin Elizabeth, who was also with child, though further along in her pregnancy. At the wedding in Cana, Mary thought of the distress of a married couple running out of wine. Mary also stood at the cross of Jesus when many had deserted Him.
We never hear Joseph, Mary’s husband, speak a word in the Bible. But his actions speak loudly. Like his namesake in the Old Testament, he was a dreamer, and as far as we know, he always obeyed God’s leading, which often came through dreams. No matter the embarrassment (of Mary’s pregnancy), or inconvenience (having to travel long distances or pull up roots), he obeyed God and fulfilled his role as protector of Mary and Jesus.
Jesus, when he heard of his cousin John the Baptist’s beheading, went off to grieve privately, but when the crowds discovered His location, he had compassion on them and healed their diseases. Later that day, he multiplied loaves and fishes to feed the crowd. How often in our grief do we want to just curl up in a ball and pull the covers over our head?
While Jesus suffered excruciating pain on the cross, he still thought of us. He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
When we have a vision of how God wants us to cooperate in His plan, we, too, can be selfless, through His grace!
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