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Confession #38 - Good Grief!

Good Grief.  Charles Schultz made the phrase famous with his cartoon Peanuts.  But honestly is there such a thing as good grief?


I can hardly believe we're here again", I though to myself yesterday morning as we entered the Animal Hospital to euthanize our second dog in 6 weeks.  We laid our Chloe to rest after suffering a large cancerous bowl obstruction in her intestine.  The doctors said she wouldn't recover and we could see her suffering terribly and it just wouldn't be fair not to end her suffering even tho we didn't want to let her go.  We just lost Nicolas in December we weren't ready for this...


Chloe
 No more puppies to greet us at the door with wagging tails, no more heads popping up in the bay window when the car pulls up.  No more barking, shedding, or howling at sirens.  No more rubbing bellies, and tossing balls.  No more getting up 50 times a day to let them in and out of the yard.  Frankly, it's much too much quiet around here.

The pain and anguish of our loss is tremendous and although I took the day off of work yesterday, I knew that I had to face today.  But you know, I didn't want to.  No, all I kept thinking is that I didn't want to get up in the morning and get my daughter ready for school or dress for work.  I didn't want to have to wash dishes or clothes, or pay bills, or go to the supermarket, and I didn't want to blog either.  All I wanted to do was to lay in bed until the pain in my heart went away.


Lexi on Nicholas
 The only thing I could do was look to the Lord for strength and comfort.  I prayed please Lord, give me a verse to comfort me, ease my pain please.  You know the funny thing about God is that He could have given one of a hundred verses that speak of His comfort, that tell how He will give me gladness for mourning and turn my sorrow into joy, but that's not the kind of verse He gave me.  Instead He gave me Ecclesiastes 7:14, "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider; God has made the one as well as the other.  Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." 

I thought about it for a while and realized what He was giving me are reasons to be thankful.  My beloved pets were gone, but my daughter wasn't.  My husband was grieving but healthy and alive.  My health is still intact and I have a loving family and friends and a great job surrounded by wonderful people. 

God says I have a future, He has a plan and a purpose for my life.  I cannot afford to waste another moment under the covers.  I will allow the Lord to fulfill His purpose for my life and I will bring Glory to Him.  So dear friends I confess that there is Good in Grief after all.  God's plan and purpose I may not always understand but I know that, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28.

So I got up this morning and I got my daughter ready for school.  I got dressed and went to work, I worked with my daughter on her homework and of course I am blogging.  I will cook dinner and do laundry and dishes.  I will go on, pain and all for I am thankful for those little lives that touched me so immensely and I am grateful that God has given me another day to serve Him and that He has a purpose for my life.

Whatever kind of loss you are suffering right now, let God in.  Let Him tell you of His plan and purpose for your future.  Let Him bring you peace and heal your suffering.  Let Him carry through this pain knowing that He will use your grief for good.  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the precious gift of life.  I thank you that although the loss we suffer when a loved-one passes away is tremendous you are with us and you still have a plan.  For my dear sisters who are suffering loss Father send the Holy Spirit to comfort them and bring them peace.  Remind them that you still want to use them make their grief good.  In Jesus precious name I pray, AMEN."













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