Truth and Myth

Another two weeks have passed and I am happy to say they went by rather quickly.  These past weeks have involved the fourth of July holiday and visits from friends and overnight stays of grandchildren and my foster daughter, Tricia.  It is wonderful to have company and not have to handle life all alone when burdened already with such great loss. Grief is always with me but there is much time when I laugh and enjoy life that God has given for the day.

Grief struck again this morning at a very inconvenient time - as I entered the church foyer.  Wow I thought, "Where in the world is this coming from!"  I honestly can say I have no idea except I just knew the tears had to flow and there was no stopping them.  I'm sorry if I made any of my dear church family uncomfortable but I wasn't going home as I love going to church and my friend Cristina was with me so there was no way I was leaving!  It all went well though - hugs were given me by family and friends which actually made me cry more (it's okay though gets rid of a few more tears).  After church Cristina and I had some brunch (my favorite Sunday thing to cook) and had a nice time to visit.  Tricia and I had a great week as well visiting and catching up and sharing what's happening in our lives.  It is hard but important to live with the truth of my situation - which is grief for a time.  Again I cannot thank everyone who prays for me and others in tough situations - it is so needed!

Here are some things that encouraged me this week:
I thought of my two husbands God so lovingly gave to me - one for 48 years (Tom) and the other for 2 1/2 years (John).  I loved telling John he helped me reach 50 years of marriage!  Anyway this week in my sadness one day I thought to myself what would my godly husbands say to me if they were able right now?  These are the verses that popped into my head!
Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (all the believers who have gone before us to heaven - which includes Tom and John) let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."
I felt those heavenly cheers many times this week and it gave me strength to carry on with this earthly race we are on!

This week I also have been reading through a grief booklet from Stephen Ministries byKenneth C. Haugk called "A Time to Grieve" book one.  There are four booklets.  I highly recommend them to read on your own or with others if you are going through grief.  One thing that stood out to me this week are some of the myths of grief - let me share some:
Myth: People with strong faith don't grieve.
Myth: A strong person should be able to get through a loss without showing emotion.
Myth: You should be pretty much back to normal after two or three months.
Myth: If you express intense feelings, you're losing control of yourself.
Myth: Crying is a sign of weakness.
Myth: Grief gets easier as you grow older.
Myth: Christians shouldn't grieve if they know their loved one is in heaven.  They should only feel joy.
Myth: Continuing to talk about the person who died only makes the pain last longer.
Myth: After a loved one has died, you can never be happy again.
There are a few more and maybe you have some of your own.  Grief is hard enough without having to face these myths so please do yourself a favor - believe the truth - God is there for you no matter how you feel even when you are angry at Him.  Take all your grief to Him and He will be your comfort and strength in due time.  Most importantly take time to cry and grieve when it is needed.
In the end we are all expected and wanted in Heaven by Jesus we just need to believe the truth - 2 Peter 3:9