Sorry Charlie

Good grief. I'm sorry Charlie Brown, but is there ever really such a thing? It may be a good thing to grieve over something but, in an of itself, grief is not good. It signifies that something has ended. A life. A relationship. Good health. And grief is no respecter of persons. It rains on the just and the unjust. 

This evening I received a phone call from another friend who is fast becoming a very close friend. (Not so close that her husband has to worry though!) I had put a prayer request out there for my brother who was experiencing some pain and fever that was severe enough for him to go to the hospital. And trips to the hospital are almost as rare for him as they are for me. In other words, he doesn't go just to see what lollipop he can get that day. When my friend called her first question was, "Where are you?" She asked this because I believe she was on her way to the hospital to sit with me again if I would just tell her which one I was at this time. I told her that I was home watching football. Then she wanted to know if everything was okay. I told her that I had a cold but that was about it. Then it became clear that it wasn't my health she was concerned about - at least not my physical health. She was concerned how I was holding up based on the fact that my brother was in the hospital. I assured her that, while he was in pain and running fever, that it was not life threatening. If it had been, then my answer to her previous question would not have included the words "home" and "football."

Yes I have been through a lot. And to have my brother hospitalized with something life threatening would have probably pushed me over this razor's edge I find myself on. But I remain on the edge for now (but still would appreciate prayers for him). 

But even if the rest of my world comes crumbling around me I will always recognize two things. One, my God is in control. And two, it could always be worse. I have no monopoly on grief. If you are grieving the loss of a pet, you are still grieving. If you are grieving the fact that your child has moved away or that your husband left you or that your great aunt twice removed fell off her rascal and broke a hip, you are still grieving. And I have no right to say that my grief is greater than yours. 

It would do us all good to recognize that to each of us, our grief is a very real and large part of our lives and we all have the right to grieve. But we all have an equal right to joy amongst the grief. Maybe not happiness, but at least joy. And if you don't have that joy amongst the grief and the pain then I would love to introduce you to that which gives joy that is sweet as fruit from the vine. Because the fruit of the spirit is love, JOY, PEACE, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. And in that spirit you can find good in the grief.