The most bittersweet holiday of all

As I mentioned in the last blog, it has been difficult to do much of anything without being reminded of the fact that Father’s Day is coming.  Hoopla for the holiday is just in the air right now.  I’ve chronicled the bittersweet holidays since my dad passed away in this blog, but I think Father’s Day has been the most bittersweet holiday of all for me.

Greg Grandchamp in his fantastic book “The Pursuit of Truth” is spot-on when he writes these words:  “When we lose loved ones, no doubt the pain can be extraordinary, seemingly unending.  We weep.  And when we weep for those we have lost, we truly weep for ourselves – for the time we have lost with that loved one whom we will no longer have, for the torment we feel for not having spent more time with them.  And we wonder why God took them from us.  But we have only our own perspective – the one from this side.  While we weep, heaven celebrates.  We cry for sadness; heaven cries for joy.”  

Later on in the same chapter, Grandchamp says, “When we mourn, we mourn for ourselves and our own loss.”  In this year, I have heard many accounts of loss.  My heart and emotions react differently now.  I am gripped by the intense pain that I know the survivors are feeling because I’ve been there.  I’m still there.  I was inspired by a story I heard conveyed in a sermon, and the widower’s response of faith and trust in God.

 

Christian evangelist George Muller (sometimes spelled “Mueller” although “Muller” is correct) found himself thrown into grief when his wife of 40 years, Mary, passed away.  George Muller decided to preach at her funeral service.  He said, “I miss her in numberless ways, and shall miss her yet more and more.  But…I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father; I seek, by perfect submission to His holy will, to glorify Him.  I kiss continually the Hand that has thus afflicted me.”  Like Muller, I trust in God’s will and plan for my life, even if that plan includes sorrow, loss, and pain.

Kevin