We
have heard two heart breaking stories out of Orlando, Florida in the past week.
One involves the senseless deaths over 4 dozen individuals and wounding of
dozens more. The second involves the loss of a child to an alligator right in
front of the parents. I’m not sure how
as a pastor and counselor I could help anyone make sense of either of these
events.
I
learned a long time ago that I’m not the sovereign God of the universe, I’m not
all-knowing, nor do I have the understanding of why he allows such horrors to
happen. I believe scripture gives a clue
when it talks about the fall of man, and how that we have stepped into a sinful
world from birth. When we think of those
parents that have suffered such loss both in the shooting in Orlando, or the
parent of that small child, my mind thinks of Adam & Eve in the garden what
was the realization for them like the day they learned that Cain killed his
brother Abel with a rock. Remember prior to this no individual had died.
Sadly,
death is going to happen! Doesn’t matter
the age, race, religion, or even sexual orientation every individual is going
to pass into the next life. The question
is are we ready? Christians, Muslim,
Atheists, and people with any other religious choice are eventually going to die.
As a believer in the Bible and as a Christian I believe we will stand before a
loving and just God. However, I also believe that based on scripture that we
will stand before a God that set certain standards; the most important is a
belief in his Son Jesus Christ as our personal savior.
For
those of us that have walked through or are currently going through the loss of
a loved one maybe for you it is a family member, friend, or co-worker it is
imperative that we work through the Grief Process. We cannot stay stuck in the
Denial, Anger, Depression, or Bargaining we must each move on to Acceptance. Acceptance is not the forgetting of what
happened, and assuredly it is not that we forget the individual, it is
embracing the reality of the loss, and moving forward to accomplish the goals
that are before us living out the remainder of our life, bring honor to theirs.
If
you are currently going through the grief process or struggling with a loss …
We would like to direct you to my workbook entitled:
Christians
Coping with Grief, A Workbook for Finding God's Truth in a Time of Sorrow!
Which
can be download free @ http://www.lulu.com/shop/rev-don-allen-jr/christians-coping-with-grief/ebook/product-1792838.html
