The other night I awoke with John 8:36 in my mind: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Since my mom's death from Alzheimer's disease, I have been struggling with grief issues; not just the sorrow of the final parting, but from something like post-traumatic stress from my years of caregiving. Nearly 20 years before she died, I lost my mother as she had once been as she began suffering signs of dementia.
The truth the Lord wanted me to receive through this Scripture is that my path forward is not to be defined by grief; Jesus sets us free from the crippling power of sorrows, past or present.
When we are sad we can't be happy simply by deciding to do so. When we are depressed we can't "snap out of it" at will. However, we can choose to believe that all sorrows are comforted in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
"Sometimes we nurture anger toward the Lord, but this is self-defeating. It is a divine paradox that the only comfort for our injuries lies in the arms of Him who allowed the blows to fall. We don't have to understand, but we do need to trust. The decision to trust takes place in the will and not in the emotions, and so even on our most difficult days we can agree with King David's words: 'But I trust in you O Lord, I say, 'You are my God, my times are in your hands'' (Psalm 31:14.)"**
**from 100 Days to Freedom: Release from the Self-Condemnation of Overweight, day 89
I'm sorry you're struggling Linda. This is a good verse to remember, and the last part of Psalm 31:14 is a verse one of my dear ladies from Bible study clung to while caring many years for her husband, as you did your mother.
ReplyDeletePraise God that Jesus sets us free from sorrows past and present!
Delete