Apr 08
Today’s Truth
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Friend to Friend
I read the text in horror and disbelief.
How could he be gone? He was the picture of potential. So much going for him. He had been through so many 
challenges and had come so far. Achieved so many accolades. How could his world have crumbled so low that taking his life became the answer he turned to?
Shockwaves ripple through the core of my heart. A landslide of sorrow.
All who knew and loved him grieved. In our homes. On social media. In our conversations. In our prayers. In our hearts.
We grieved deep with a pain that stings fierce.
We grieved for his family, for the empty seat at their dinner table, and the empty gape in their hearts and home. We grieved for his friends, our children, his teammates, and our community. We grieved because death hurts.
As we gathered in community to celebrate his life many stories were shared. In the sacred sanctuary of God’s presence, we were reminded that God is the healer of the broken. We were reminded that death is not the end for those that place their faith in Christ. We were reminded to cherish those we love and to keep our eyes wide open to the needs of those around us.
The pastor painted a canvas of Hope as he spoke. Each word a stroke of truth. A smattering of grace in full and vibrant color. He shared from the Word of God about the Word made flesh: our Hope, Jesus.
And then this… “Our friend did not die of hopelessness, he died of brokenness.”
Oh, my soul.
How does one who is surrounded by a community of love feel broken to the point of death? To the point of thinking that suicide is a solution to the pain?
I struggled to breathe as I think back on this tragedy.
I consider the lives I love that are tortured by depression and sigh inwardly.
The weight of it all still sits heavy on my heart.
Inwardly I speak to the Father. I remember pouring my heart out to the Comforter and sensing His peace in the middle of the grief. The burden remains, but the pressure of it is lightened in His presence. And I’m reminded that God’s strength comes to me as I yoke myself to Jesus and allow Him to share in the carrying of my grief. In doing so, I am locked into His power that walks with me step by step through every struggle.
When life is jagged and darkness taunts us like a bully, how can we see beyond the despair that grips us?
I don’t have a simple list of answers, but I do know this: when grief runs deep God’s comforting love runs deeper still.
The peace we long for and the rest we are desperate for will always be found in the arms of Jesus. And those arms are constantly reaching out to us.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
This is the invitation Jesus gives to each of us.
If you find yourself in a place of unrest… if you are trying to sift through a landslide of soul sorrow… if you’re carrying a heavy load, will you turn toward Hope and accept His invitation right now?
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, Please help me bring my grief to You. Thank You for being a God of hope and healing. Remind me of the peace and plans you have for me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read Isaiah 41:10. What two things does God not want you to do? Why? What three things does He promise to do for you? How will these promises affect the way you deal with your challenges today?
Who is one person you know that is struggling and in need of encouragement right now? How will you encourage her/him?
More from the Girlfriends
Gwen Smith is a speaker, worship leader, songwriter, and author of I Want I ALL, which includes a Bible Study Guide right in the back of the book; no extra purchase required. I WANT IT ALL is easy to read yet contains compelling and challenging content. You’ll connect with the stories, probably dust off a few heart dreams, think bigger thoughts of God, laugh and smile a lot, search your soul, and even cry a little … because each page lovingly directs you to the personal grace and truth of JESUS.
(CLICK HERE to get a FREE Downloadable “7 Day I WANT IT ALL” Devotional Ebook.)
Wow! This touched my heart. I read your devotional everyday and they help me so much. We lost our son to suicide 3 years ago and the struggle to understand and find peace is a constant journey. The questions of why, why didn’t we see what was happening, why didn’t he talk to us are never ending. We thank the lord daily for his 3 boys and our daughter in law. The pain is is not as intense but will always be with us. I know he is with Jesus, and I believe Jesus has held me up through it all. Thanks for your wonderful devotionals. It starts my day the right way!!
Hello Jane,
I just wanted to invite you to read my post. I meant it to be a reply to your post, but I did it incorrectly. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Sincerely,
Jaimie
Jane, I am sorry for you son’s loss. My family and I know this indescribable anguish to well and wish it was not so. We lost our daughter Haley 5 months ago to suicide, she was 16 years old. I can’t accurately describe the complexity of thoughts that go through us on a minute by minute basis. I too read these devotionals every single day and they are always needed. In this type of loss and the loss of your child, the enemy will attack until more or all affected by the loss are destroyed. I honestly do not know how anyone could go through this sort of loss, or any loss without having faith in hope that God will one day make this all right again. Our daughter had committed her life to Jesus when she was 11, the most glorious of days looking back, with the exception of her birth. I heard a pastor once say that the choice our daughter made earlier in her life, had made all the difference in her last choice. The point being that she is not defined by how she left this world, she accepted Jesus, knew Jesus, and declared that through her baptism, and that is that. He paid it all…past, present, and future-Period.
This is the hope we cling to through our own grief, to know that God loved us so much that He suffered the loss of His son for the sake of our son’s and daughter’s, for us. Oh glory to the one and only Father that gives us the lasting gift, and carries us when we are weakened with tremendous grief. Let us praise Him for the honor of knowing Him through the worst storms, and let us thank Him for the pain we suffer for it reminds us just how much we need Him in our lives.
Thank you ladies from Girlfriends In God for your time in writing to us every day. It is much needed and appreciated always.
Thank you Jaimie. Sometimes we feel so alone in our anguish but there are others who have also suffered this pain. I pray daily for all the parents who have suffered the loss of a child. May Jesus continue to hold all of us close until we see our loved ones again. May you find peace.