You never forget where you were when you get the news. It was one of those late spring days you wait all winter for in Canada- the sky a deep, hypnotic blue; fields of green stretching out and flecks of mica glittering on the road I was surveying. Then I saw a car stopping far ahead and the familiar face of my uncle walking towards me. Why was he here at my work site twenty miles from home? Then I was told that my ten year old brother had died earlier that morning in a tragic accident. Blurred vision, tears, scattered thoughts and echos of sound – I still remember.
The death of a beloved is an amputation. – C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed.
Some blame God for not preventing tragic deaths like my brother’s.
My family and I spent the rest of that summer and years after grieving over Michael. After tragedy, many sink into depression. Some are tempted to binge eat, drink or quit projects, exercising, relationships or even life. You hear others but you’re mostly not there. My first impulse at the time was to pour raw emotion and energy out like never before in the weight room every day. Many reps and sets finished in tears. Working out seemed to help my grief to a small degree, but it was only a short term outlet for my pain. Exercise is good for you and stimulates endorphins for a more positive mental perspective, but it isn’t enough. Only God can give true comfort and healing to the brokenhearted. Did I take it to God enough at first? No, I did not.
As time went on though, I hung on more and more to the Biblical truth that my brother was in heaven with God, and as a believer in Jesus Christ, I would see him one day. When King David’s infant son was taken from him, David felt his loss very keenly—but he also knew he would see him again. David declared, “Can I bring him back again? I will go to him”. My parents faith was a source of strength, and the Biblical truths taught by Rev. Eric Strachan were exceedingly more comforting than if I had just relied on self, friends, or pouring emotion out in the weight room. God is close to the brokenhearted and mends those crushed in spirit. Read my full story here: www.faithandfitness.net/shawnmaves
God is not the author of death, He is the author of life
Maybe I’m writing this to someone who experienced a death of a child or a loved one. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible assures us of eternal life and that we will see children and other believers we know who have gone ahead of us in heaven. Paul wrote in the Bible ‘we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.’ Some may blame God for not preventing tragic deaths like my brother’s but you see God is not the author of death, He is the author of Life. Jesus said: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
The effects of sin (death, disease, corruption, wars, famines, greed) have left a permanent mark on the universe until Jesus returns. Until then as we face grief and hardships in life, the Bible reminds us that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Grief is a long winding, painful road. Each turn makes known the landscape of reality, but blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted by God himself. God is close to the brokenhearted and mends those crushed in spirit.
