A single word. An accident. An unexpected turn of events. A failure. A loss of relationship. Any one of these can change the rest of our lives. The dreams and hopes and expectations that give meaning to our lives are suddenly and abruptly shattered, and fear and emptiness take their place. Emotional turmoil wrecks havoc with any sense of perspective or direction. God seems strangely and distantly silent. The cocoon of my loss paralyzes, and I struggle simply to move forward one day at a time. It happens to all of us – in different ways and at different times – but, it happens. How do we cope with those things that seem to alter the very heart of what we wanted? We will grieve, and even as Job did not sin when he gave stark expression to his grief, neither do we.
The process of grieving is healthy, but it is not an end in itself. When dreams splinter or die, we move forward only through acceptance. Acceptance, however, is not simply resigning ourselves to the fact of our loss. Biblical acceptance has a much more empowering effect on our lives, because Biblical acceptance is directed toward God. Acceptance apart from God is pure self-effort, and often futile. Biblical acceptance acknowledges God’s presence and control in the life of the believer. God’s purposes, God’s love, God’s enablement, and God’s grace are all actively at work in my life. As much as I recognize the needs that lost hopes create, God recognizes those needs as well, and promises me a walkable path through them. Let me close with some words I’ve written before. Acceptance is not usually easy, but it is necessary. Your emotions, your feelings, your perspective, and your thinking are all very real. They are not negated by acceptance, but they will be shaped and perhaps redefined by acceptance. Acceptance puts your hand in God’s hand, and with quiet confidence in His loving father-heart, says, “I know You were there. I know You are, and will be here. I want to walk on Your walkable path.”
(Related Bible reading: Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:5,6)
– Bev
