Encouraging words & scripture

After Clay passed away, there was no doubt that I needed some encouragement. I found a 90 day devotional; Grieving God's Way, The path to lasting hope and healing. Here are some things that I find myself repeating almost daily.

Listen to this...stop and consider God's wonders (Job 37:14)
 Faith comes to us in quiet moments, the soul grows in stillness, and healing takes time.

Grief is a red light

that healing turns to amber,

and wellness, to green.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:13
 Laughter is one of God's most healing gifts and a great coping device. Laughter has tremendous healing power. By finding humor even in tragedy we take control and become empowered. Laughter helps us see the sunshine behind the clouds and that is the first step toward regaining hope.

If I cast a smile

when passing your photograph,

it smiles back at me.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

  Gratitude can be a great source of strength; appreciation of friend and family reminds us that we're not alone. We naturally treat people we appreciate better and this is reflected in the way they treat us. Gratitude is not the result of healing but the point from which all healing begins. Before we can feel gratitude we must first open our hearts to the abundance that is ours. Give thanks for grief's pain, for it symbolizes the depth of your love.

Joy and gratitude

make my cup runneth over,

spilling thanks to God.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. (Hebrews 4:13)

 Grief is a marble stone that must be chipped away little by little, day by day. What are is trapped in the stone of your grief? A more authentic self? A stronger faith? A more creative soul? A more compassionate spirit? Sometimes it's memories we uncover, previously forgotten moments that make us smile or move us to loving tears. Sometimes we find another dimension of a loved one, another picture of God. Keep chipping away, piece by piece, teardrop by teardrop. Grief can make master sculptors of us all.

Tears comfort the soul,

washing away our sorrow

one drop at a time.

Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll. (Job 19:23)

 Like God's love, a journal is as deep as our pain, as broad as our courage and as wide as our imagination. Those of us in grief need a place to cry, to laugh, to pray, to confess and to explore. When the world has been turned upside down, we need to unload the guilt, anger, despair and confusion.

My journal catches

the shattered bits of my life

neatly on straight lines.