Acquainted with Grief

It’s Spring Break for many in our area of the country and as much as I want to write something that goes with the light and carefree theme of vacation, my heart won’t let me. So, if you’re suntanning or snowboarding in a beautiful place without a care in the world, rock on… and come back to this post next week. If you have anything in your life giving you angst, then let’s walk through this together.In my world, one unique dynamic of ministry is that we’re never far from pain. There isn’t a day that goes by when I’m not aware of a new pain that’s been inflicted on someone in my circle. At times, the grief can be overwhelming. There are so many wounds, injuries, losses, hurts, and betrayals that it makes me long to see the Lord return.[bctt tweet="We don’t have to compare pain. Pain is pain."]Years ago, I walked alongside a friend going through a particularly tough season. No one knew how to relate to her kind of pain, so they mostly avoided her or ignored the topic. Compared with the level of loss she faced, everyone else’s pain seemed insignificant. At one point, I remember hearing her graciously address someone who was feeling bad for complaining about a relatively minor issue. She uttered the simple words, “We don’t have to compare pain. Pain is pain.”So, thinking about your big pain or your small pain, perhaps you’ll be encouraged by a very short phrase found within Isaiah 53:3. Here in the midst of a famous passage prophesying the coming of Jesus, we get a picture of what our Savior has truly experienced for our sake.

He was despised and rejected by men,a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;and as one from whom men hide their faceshe was despised, and we esteemed him not.(Isaiah 53:3, emphasis added.)

I don’t know if you felt this as you read this verse, but there’s something that comforts my soul to know that the Lord I pray to has walked on this earth and, while here, He was acquainted with grief. Of course, it shouldn’t have been so. He should’ve been loved and accepted, not despised and rejected. Unlike me, He was sinless. There wasn’t a single reason He should’ve faced rejection, yet for our sake, He did.I think about the friends of mine who have been through struggles. There’s something about them that makes them more approachable. To think the perfect Savior of the world who never sinned also has the ability to comfort me in my grief gives me great hope. Our God is approachable!I don’t know what’s causing you grief right now. What I do know is that, whether it’s the breathtaking pain from the loss of a loved one or just a daily disappointment, we serve a King who walked this earth and shared these pains… and He can comfort us.[bctt tweet="Our God is approachable... allow Him to comfort you."]