The Miracle of EmotionsSample

# Feeling Grief [IMAGE CONTENT] Can I pray for us as we begin our time today? God thank you for the miraculous gift of grief. I know that many of us struggle to see that grief is a gift, but open our hearts to the miracle of your truth today. We need you to walk with us on the journey and we know that you are already with us! Amen. As a pastor, I was called to the bedside of a young woman from our church. She was in the hospital after having suffered another miscarriage. That’s right, she had endured multiple miscarriages and her heart was broken.....again. This was a moment I will never forget. When I walked in, her red-eyed husband nodded his head and left the room. His grief was evident and transparently written on every fiber of his being. She looked at me blankly. I had nothing to say. I was just with her in her grief. Then, she erupted in anger and threw a bedpan across the room. She questioned God and His decisions and then dissolved into a pile of tears and sobs. I thought of Jesus. “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. (Isaiah 53:3a, NIV) Jesus knew pain. He felt the raw emotions of loss, suffering, and grief. And, Jesus miraculously moved into the moment I was sharing at the bedside of a broken-hearted daughter of God. God gave me one thought and I whispered it to her, “ God can handle your grief, and he understands. God knows exactly how it feels to lose a child.” At that moment, a miracle happened. God moved from outside of the pain of losing a child, into the center of the pain of losing a child because He had felt that same pain!! The miracle of emotions and the miracle of understanding mixed together. The young woman rocked back and forth saying, “God understands. God understands.” Jesus understands everything that is bringing you grief today. He knows it so you don’t have to hide it. Instead, you can feel it deeply, release it to Him, and allow Him to bring joy to you...down the road. I saw the young woman from this story last week at church. Her life has changed a lot. She continued to pray about her dream and God answered. She has two children now, one in college and the other just finishing high school. God turned her grief into joy. Whatever you are facing today, whether a broken dream, waiting for an answer, or coming to peace with God’s plan in a new way and with a new perspective. God is giving you some precious gifts – His presence, His love, His tears, and His comfort. Jesus experienced grief and sorrow, and now, He is feeling it with and for you. I promise that someday, when the grief shifts, you will be able to look back and see that God’s gift of emotions opened the door to a miraculous healing in your heart. You are a miracle and I am praying for you. Your friend, Grant Fishbook