Monthly Archives: March 2012

Today’s opportunity was helping with a grief and loss session.  One of the participants was too raw to the death of a loved one.  An hour or so of time together was about all she could take.

Another came with issues related more to the aftermath of family relationships than the direct personal impact on the participant.  Another is working on emotions that rage in out of control at some times.

The thing that reigns supreme in these sessions – what often we think is abnormal is really quite normal.  As we completed the day, I was reminded. 

My own grief and loss – parents, sibling – doesn’t have to capture my life.  The thing that provides hope in the midst of all this is that God is in control.  Faith grabs a hold and won’t let go.  And soon God’s love captures our hearts.

Grief and loss can be a stepping stone to something greater.  We don’t have to medicate – we can go through and come out on the other side brighter, stronger and a better person.

The other day I heard someone proclaim that the cynic is one who throws the towel in.  Life is never as good as we might want, people disappoint, and clouds overshadow the sun.  No wonder the cynic throws the towel in!

Then I got to thinking.

A servant also throws the towel in.  Jesus, in the last hours of his life threw the towel in.  Into the lives of those he was working with.  Washing their feet.  Serving them.  Caring for them.

I guess I would like to be known as one who throws the towel in.

I’ve run across a number of people lately who talk about religion being a dusty set of rules and spirituality being freeing.  Christians talk about knowing Christ and leaving dead religion behind. 

I can understand those thoughts that do turn following Christ into a matter of mere rules – following the letter of the law and not the Spirit.

At the same time our society has looked favourably on the term spirituality – as though this were the cure all.  Unfortunately this has meant a whole approach which sounds good but seems less than expected.  Here are a few thoughts/quotes I’ve also been hearing lately:

Spirituality lacks discipline.

Spirituality is merely living for one’s self in such a way that God becomes me, and life is lived on my set of rules.  Ruled based religion in reverse??

Here is a guest post by Cheryl Glass:

Hi.  I’ve been thinking about mothers of the Bible lately.  For example, if David’s mom had been on the hill of battle when Goliath came out to challenge the Israelites, and David stepped out to answer the challenge, do you think she would have grabbed him and told him to sit down and be quiet?  Or buried her face in her hands and just stood there wondering where she went wrong?  When John the Baptist started wandering the wilderness in camel hair and eating locusts and honey, do you think Elizabeth tried explaining to her friends that he’d always been just a little bit odd, or that it was just a stage?  Did Moses’ mom blame herself after he murdered the Egyptian, thinking that if she could have raised him, things would have turned out differently?  Do you think Rachel wanted to step up and tell the other others to stop picking on her boy just because he was different than their sons?  This couldn’t really be a Bible study, because there is no where to find the answers, but it’s something I wonder about….