For Those Whose Faith Is Shaken

[kayc]

In "Our Daily Bread" the March 17 devotional tells about a man who had an accident, but no one was killed. The doctor told him he was lucky and he thought "God is good". That prompted him to do some thinking...if someone had been killed, God would be no less good. When we experience tragedy, we may wonder about God's goodness. He doesn't promise that bad things will never happen to us, but he does promise to be "our refuge and strength".

Even when we don't understand.

I remember the year following George's death...I could not pray...or should I say, when I did, it was as if I went through the form but felt nothing, as if God were a million miles away, as if I could not reach Him. And I had always been an avid prayer. My faith was no less than it ever had been...although now it had been severely shaken, it had been torn asunder and I had to reface it, everything I'd ever thought or been taught or known was now challenged to the core. It is not that I did not believe in God anymore, I just didn't know what that meant to me anymore. Eventually, my faith came back, as strong as ever, all the more so...and as I faced new challenges that were to come, God was there...just as He'd always been. He was not an imposing figure, but rather a quiet strength, always there in the background, but there in the forefront too. I knew I could count on Him to be there no matter what happened in life, single, married, alone, with a job, without one, with illness or in health, and I would not have to face this life or the next alone. At the end of this journey I will be with my George again. I don't try to figure everything out or understand it all...some things are just to be accepted and not understood...some things I cannot make sense out of, but that quiet assurance will be mine and carry me through.

[MartyT]

Kay, dear, your post prompts me to mention Kelly Buckley's heartfelt and inspiring blog, Gratitude in Grief (and her wonderful book of the same title, which I've just finished reading). I think you will appreciate Kelly's blog entry today, entitled Faith in Grief, in which she describes how faith has helped her cope with the sudden, unexpected death of her 23-year-old son, Stephen.

[kayc]

Thank you, Marty...I esp. identify with the 4th definition.