Below article is from UCB, Word For Today:
"Our culture makes death a subject to avoid or to speak of with gloom. When the subject comes up, even Christians try to dodge the bullet by escaping into vague, irrelevant-sounding metaphors. But God’s Word makes death clear and unthreatening for those who trust in Christ.
‘Dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died, so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.’ God’s Word is direct, concrete, and encouraging on this subject. ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His [godly ones]’ (Psalms 116:15 NKJV).
From our heavenly Father’s perspective, death just opens the door for Him to enjoy perfect, eternal, delightful fellowship with each of His redeemed children. ‘I heard a voice out of Heaven, “Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master…how blessed to die that way!” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “and blessed rest from their hard, hard work.
None of what they've done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end’’’ (Revelation 14:13 TM). The Bible assures every believer that their death is not a tragedy but a triumphal entry into heaven. The Amplified Bible puts it: ‘Blessed (happy, to be envied).’
God instructed John, ‘Write this.’ Why? Because God understands that when we lose a loved one we tend to forget His perspective and adopt an emotion-driven perspective.
Rejoice, believer, ‘…Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord’ (Romans 14:8 NIV). And the Lord takes good care of what belongs to Him!".
In summary, happy is the memory of those that died in Christ. Twale shared this scripture with me to encourage you.
The scripture is in Isaiah 57:1-2 which says that:
"Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
That God is protecting them from evil to come.
For those who follow godly paths
Will rest in peace when they die".
The scripture is in Isaiah 57:1-2 which says that:
"Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
That God is protecting them from evil to come.
For those who follow godly paths
Will rest in peace when they die".
Practical ways of coping with death/loss
Talk to God on a daily basis. Literally voice your views to Him
Sing praises to God
Don't isolate yourself from your loved ones. Talk to your loved ones.
Do things that will aid your healing, going out, writing about it, engaging in your hobbies.
Do not take your life
Do not confess negative words
Take each day as it comes.
Seek counsel. Remember, seeking counsel does not suggest that you are weak neither does it suggest that you are not spiritually sound. God expects us to seek counsel.
Share your worries with God and appropriate individuals.
Have you experienced loss or know someone that has experienced loss?
Include your voice below so as to encourage others that view this blog.
Be sociable and share this post!
Yes, I lost an uncle last year. We once lost a worker in my church a couple of years back. Our General overseer referred to Eccle.:7:1-4 which points out that it is better to have a good name and also wise to choose places of mourning over places of merry bcos death is the end of all man. That always rings in my head and gets me into sober reflective moods often. It has helped me cherish the events of lives of those around me more.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and sharing the above scripture. Reading Ecclesiastics 7:1-4 has enabled me to reflect on life and how to live one's life.
DeleteIt felt as if I hadn't read Ecclesiastics 7:1-4 before.
This is timely,i just lost my aunt to a tragic motor accident two weeks ago,been a hard time,but the word of God has been comforting me day in day out,and yes writing about it too helped a bit,i believe it is a day by day step and with the help of God,one will eventually take heart and be strong.Thanks for sharing this!.
ReplyDeleteThank you anonymous. I'm glad the post was timely. You are right that it is a day by day step in regards to comfort. Nonetheless, I want you and every reader to know the Power of the Holy Spirit in relation to comforting His children. When you pray in tongues regularly and ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you, you will be surprised how quick the healing will be. Try it and you will see the way God would work wonders in your life and relatives.
DeleteDear anonymous, Sorry to hear about your lose. God will console you and your family. It is well with you. perhaps you are share some of the points above with some family members. God bless
DeleteThanks for sharing this. its good that you are encouraging people in different aspects of life because in life we face different challenges. Love the reference you made about eternal life if one dies in Christ. God bless you sis. Bernard thanks for Eccl 7:1-4. Its quite deep! I will also like to share Eccl 3:1-8. i know its very common but helps us know that life is full of different phases. It helped me come to terms with my grandma's death. Just two little additions:
ReplyDelete1. cherish the good times you had. That helped me with my grandma's death. I knew she wouldn't come back. So I consoled myself with the eternal life she is enjoying and the legacy she left..she gave me a wonderful mum :) , so when I think of her now, I smile as I have replaced sadness for good times. very occassionally, when i think too deeply about her death, a few tears may drop involuntarily but I still smile while they drop.Our hearts are not void and we are seldom emotionless about situations. Its either positive or negative, and which way it goes, is up to US. I am not saying its easy, but i am saying it is possible..with God.
2. you are right about the culture of not wanting to talk about death. There has been numerous times I have asked aunties, uncles, parents after finding out that someone died "what happened to him/her" the response i get is "death killed him" or "he just died"..or "he was sick", what sickness? and this is followed by i dont know or it does matter. I feel that people should be willing to share such information, at least most of the times. as it also helps to educate people: go for regular medical check ups, live healthier, drive safely, more security in the neighbourhood, perhaps a new infection that needs researching into?..could be anything but knowledge is powerful. Ultimately our life is in Gods hands but we as humans, we also have work we can do..God bless you all
Thank you for your comment Tenpointsreview.
DeleteI will read Ecclesiastic 3 again.
Your points are very practical. I like how you were pragmatic in your answer, you linked it to the Bible and you offered practical examples and your experience.
Knowing the cause of a death is certainly crucial. Within the nature of my job, we sometimes ask people about the cause of a relative death (In UK, people tend to know as it is within the death certificate), you may be wondering why we asked about the cause of someone's death, the reason is that, there is a likelihood of the same condition/illness affecting others within the family. You are certainly right to encourage readers to go for medical check up, to avoid what may lead to such illness/condition, above all, to prayerfully pray against the illness/condition, to pray against the illness/condition in one's lineage.
Finally, I would like to state that, it is okay to cry, it doesn't make you weak, neither does it suggest that you do not believe in God's Word. It was recorded in the Bible that, Jesus Christ wept when Lazarus died.
When people that we love die, it is normal to cry. In a way, it would appear inhumane if one does not cry.