Emotion is a subjective state of mind.
Emotions can be reactions to internal stimuli (such as thoughts or memories) or events that occur in our environment.
Emotions are not the same thing as moods. A mood is a state of mind that inclines us to react a certain way.
Emotions by themselves are neither good nor bad. They are simply reactions. However, the way we act(or don’t act) on our emotions can strongly affect our well-being.
Grief is one of the hardest emotions that we deal with. Grief caused by sicknesses and even death is hard for us to grasp.
Godly grief moves the believers to transformative action in life.
It drives our way of living in two different directions:
- On our way – when we try to face grief alone.
- God’s way – draws us closer to God.
Matthew 19:16-22
In this story we see the rich young ruler who has everything in life that he can have but misses one valuable treasure…..eternal life.
He walked away in “sorrow” because he couldn’t buy or work for eternal life, he had to surrender, but wasn’t willing to.
John 11:1-6
In this story Mary and her sister Martha were grieving the illness of their brother Lazarus.
God’s timing is not our timing. (2 days)
Grief is a part of our lives.
We experience it in all of life’s situations.
The question is not if we will experience grief, but how we will react when we do.
Grief can lead to change and growth in our personal life and personal relationship with God.
What would it look like in our lives if we individually and corporately used our grief to serve as a signal for where the Spirit was leading us towards change?
What if we embraced the Godly sorrows we face in our lives as a catalyst for faith-filled actions?
Let’s hear a story of grief and the journey to overcome…..