He Would Not Grieve Hopelessly? (4 of 4)
Series: What Would Jesus NOT Do?
?Tony Thomas?
John 11:1-43; Revelation 21:4
When I was in grade school one of my classmates missed school one day. That wasn't unusual because kids get sick all the time. But then we learned her father had suffered a heart-attack and died in his early 30s. From that day on, I worried that my Dad would die early, too.
Today, my Dad is 90. But the day Mom calls to say he's taken his last breath, I don't think I'll grieve excessively, because I've been grieving his death since I was 9-years-old!
On the night before Dad's birthday (January 8), I called all three of our girls and asked them to connect with their grandfather and wish him happy birthday. Later that week Dad called to say, ''You'll never believe it, but all three of your girls phoned on my birthday. You did a great job raising those girls!'' Now if I can just get them to call me!
I heard about some grandkids that pulled a fast one on their grandfather. They phoned on his birthday but each one asked him to, ''Sound like a frog.'' After the fourth request he knew something was up. He asked his youngest grandchild, ''What's up? What's the joke?'' His grandson replied, ''Dad said as soon as you croak we're gonna be loaded!''
Is that terrible or what? Can I be honest with you? When someone we love passes, we find ourselves not so much loaded - as lost! There are few experiences in life that shake us more than the ''valley of the shadow of death.''
The Bible has some things to say about grief and one of the most helpful passages is from 1 Thessalonians:
4:13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the average person, who has no hope.
That verse may be familiar - but look at it again, carefully, and make sure you don't read it incorrectly. Some believers suggest that we aren't supposed to grieve, but that's not what Paul writes. He says we aren't supposed to ...
Series: What Would Jesus NOT Do?
?Tony Thomas?
John 11:1-43; Revelation 21:4
When I was in grade school one of my classmates missed school one day. That wasn't unusual because kids get sick all the time. But then we learned her father had suffered a heart-attack and died in his early 30s. From that day on, I worried that my Dad would die early, too.
Today, my Dad is 90. But the day Mom calls to say he's taken his last breath, I don't think I'll grieve excessively, because I've been grieving his death since I was 9-years-old!
On the night before Dad's birthday (January 8), I called all three of our girls and asked them to connect with their grandfather and wish him happy birthday. Later that week Dad called to say, ''You'll never believe it, but all three of your girls phoned on my birthday. You did a great job raising those girls!'' Now if I can just get them to call me!
I heard about some grandkids that pulled a fast one on their grandfather. They phoned on his birthday but each one asked him to, ''Sound like a frog.'' After the fourth request he knew something was up. He asked his youngest grandchild, ''What's up? What's the joke?'' His grandson replied, ''Dad said as soon as you croak we're gonna be loaded!''
Is that terrible or what? Can I be honest with you? When someone we love passes, we find ourselves not so much loaded - as lost! There are few experiences in life that shake us more than the ''valley of the shadow of death.''
The Bible has some things to say about grief and one of the most helpful passages is from 1 Thessalonians:
4:13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the average person, who has no hope.
That verse may be familiar - but look at it again, carefully, and make sure you don't read it incorrectly. Some believers suggest that we aren't supposed to grieve, but that's not what Paul writes. He says we aren't supposed to ...
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