“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

– Psalm 30:5b (NIV)

 

Daily Meditation: Psalm 73:21-28, Ecclesiastes 1:3-11

 

“God needed another angel.”

 

“They are better off now.”

 

I really struggle with these kinds of glib answers to some of the incredibly painful situations we experience in life. People may mean well, but sometimes the condolences they offer us can feel shallow, superficial, and fake. Their words are meant to comfort, but they often leave us more grieved, sad, empty, or angry.

 

In some ways, it hurts all the more because they insinuate that God took away our loved one because he needed something. These trite statements can make us cry out even more, “Why, God?”

 

Yes, there is pain and loss in life, and there will be times of grief. It is not wrong to grieve, for grieving is a statement that you have loved deeply. But in the midst of our pain and suffering, we can still find hope and comfort in God’s word. The sorrow will not last forever, for “rejoicing comes in the morning.” God will one day turn our mourning into dancing. We can be confident of that. Even when our pain is overwhelming, God is still present in the midst of it all. Feel his embrace and ask him to hold your heart. You will get through this.

 

“Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself

 in protection from suffering… The love of God did not protect His own Son…

He will not necessarily protect us – not from anything it takes to make us like His Son.

A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.”

– Elisabeth Elliot

 

 

Be fearless: The pain may feel like it will last forever, but in time, it will get better. The morning always comes. God’s divine comfort can ease even the most painful losses. He knows our grief and will mourn alongside us. When your sorrow seems overwhelming and you don’t know how you are going to face another day, cling to Jesus as your source of strength and hope. He knows your pain and will walk with you all the way through it.

 

Let’s let 2019 be the year we grow closer to the Lord and become the fearless, strong, and faithful woman we are meant to be in Him! In Be Fearless, Julie Clinton provides a scripturally-sound guide for finding freedom, purpose, joy… and fearlessness.  Be Fearless is now available in our store! https://www.aacc.net/product/be-fearless/ Consider working through Be Fearless with another extraordinary woman or group this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Clinton, MAd, MBA, is president of Extraordinary Women and host of EWomen conferences all across America. She is the author of several books including A Woman’s Path to Emotional Freedom, 10 Things You Aren’t Telling Him, and Extraordinary Women. She is passionate about seeing women live out their dreams by finding their freedom in Christ. Julie and her husband, Tim, live in Virginia with their children, Megan and Zach.