The Journey of Grief

We recently came across a message that Floyd preached in a church in Gauteng here in South Africa 10 years ago.  It's called "Writing Your Own Spiritual Will."  It's about 35 minutes long.  Floyd recounts our family finding something his dad had written.  We found it after he had passed away.  In it, Dad shares about the spiritual will he wanted to pass on to his children - and he affirms each child and grandchild.  It was very special to find this.  Floyd then challenges us about the legacy we are each leaving.  It's a special sermon.

I loved hearing Floyd preach!  He had a wonderful anointing for preaching and teaching.  I'm sorry we've lost that, but grateful we have videos like this that can keep sharing his voice.  

It was a good reminder of the legacy we leave - all of us.  We leave a legacy of pointing people to Jesus - or of pointing them to other things.  As followers of Jesus, we should be pointing the way to Him through our words, our actions, our daily lives, our choices.  I've made a fresh commitment in my heart to try and leave a "Jesus legacy."   

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6 

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

Listening to Floyd's message was emotional for me though - sweet, tender, and tearful.  Grief rose up in my heart again - it does that fairly often anyway.  But seeing his face, hearing his voice, listening to him preaching - it emphasized the loss.

I had been rereading some of my old updates - all the way back to 2018.  I found a quote from another sermon of Floyd's - "Grieve Well to Grow Well."  These words spoke to my heart:

"Nothing can prepare us for the loss of a loved one.  And nothing can prepare us for the grief that follows.  Grief is part of the healing process that we need, but it's also very painful to walk through.  There's no set timetable for it.  We each have to walk through it in the way that we need.  It's the method God uses to cleanse our heart from the anguish, and bring us back to a place of wholeness.  It's part of the journey we embark on when we lose a loved one, or lose something precious to us."

It felt like Floyd was speaking right to my heart.  And there is a powerful truth there. Grief IS God's gift to us to heal us.  The journey of grieving - for whatever we have lost - is a special journey of healing to bring us back to wholeness.  I'm on that journey - and I would guess that many of you are too. 

It was helpful to be encouraged once again that God understands grief, and that He uses it to bring healing to our hearts.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  Matthew 5:4 

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."  Psalm 34:18

"Jesus wept."  John 11:35

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  Psalm 147:3

There's no timetable for grief, but there are an abundance of promises that God will meet us, help us, and heal us.  A friend signed off his email to me with this phrase - "peace in every heartbeat."  I love that!  I think that's what the Lord gives us when we are grieving.

If you would like to listen to Floyd’s message you can find it under Resources on our home page.