grief

See You Later

/ insightbyseymour / 8 Comments

SONY DSCAt 1:20 AM Friday morning, my mother passed away. Instead of saying “goodbye,” I choose to say “see you later.” From my conversations with Mom, I believe the moment she took her last breath, she immediately went to Heaven.

On Wednesday of last week she had a horrible day, so I sat beside her and spoke to her about what and who she had waiting for her in Heaven. Two of my sisters joined me as we sang “Jesus Loves Me.”

Over the last week I continued to reassure Mom that it was ok to die; that she did not have to continue to fight for her kids; and that, we would all be fine, and I said: “Mom you can go on the Heaven.”

Love you Mom, and I’ll see you later.

…….I may not post here for a few days as I tend to the situation at hand….

Stomped-on and Slapped-down

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FEAR Over the last couple of weeks international news has focused on the missing Malaysian plane. Whenever the camera captured the faces of the family members, they were wrinkled with lines of agony. The fear of death had left them terrified and frightened.

Fear, terror, grief, and anxiety are emotions that are herculean in nature–strong emotions that wrestle us to the floor of our soul. Emotions like these are generally associated with loss that is either real or threatened.

David must have been in a situation like this when he wrote Psalm 56:1-2: “Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.”

You may have had times in your life when you could identify with David. You know what it is like to have a week of Mondays: It seems like you can’t get ahead because you’ve been stomped-on and slapped-down every time you try to do something.

When you feel like you’re down to the last straw and you want to avoid and withdraw from your problems and problem-makers, do what David did. He re-evaluated his resources: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me (Ps. 56:3-4)?

I know there are at least 63 different places in the Bible where the words “Fear not” are found. In Isaiah 41:10, God said: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

At some point in life, fears must be faced. The more you allow your fear to define you, the more it will confine you. According to Paul, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (I Tim. 1:7).”

When you look through the pages of the Bible, fear is usually the result of disobeying a command or disregarding a promise. In the first situation, a person disobeys because he thinks his reasoning is better than God’s, and in the second, he thinks the resources of God are insufficient.

Here is a tip to help you face your fear: “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!” (Proverbs 3:5-7, The Message)

The Healing Power of Touch

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Just three insignificant letters form in the mind and reverberate off the vocal chords to ask a painful question: Why? This question is not asked in our moments of joy and happiness; it is in the seconds of sorrow that seem to last for eternity that we ask: Why?

Due to the nature of my work, I am often present when someone is overcome by the power of some gut wrenching and heart rending tragedy or trial. While a person is languishing in the fog of grief, he may turn a deaf ear to the cold language of theology, and at the same time listen for the warm sound of the first language he learned—the language of touch.

In Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, referred to touch as “our richest means of emotional expression” throughout life.

Research conducted by The University of Wisconsin and published in the National Academy of Sciences, found a link between children who had been deprived of close physical contact and lower levels of social-bonding hormones. The research seemed to indicate that the first language of touch or infant cuddling is vital to a child’s emotional well-being.

Evidence suggests that a warm touch can trigger the release of oxytocin. This hormone does a couple of things: It helps to create a sensation of trust, and it also helps to reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Does this mean there is a biological benefit to burden-bearing words of Jesus in Matthew 11? Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

The next time you or a friend get punched in the gut with the combined power of three little insignificant letters, W-H-Y, remember there is some spiritual as well as biological benefit to embracing this principle of Scripture: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ . . . as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6).