Wednesday, July 25, 2012

How to Prepare Loved Ones for Hardship


In our “Frequently Asked Questions” series last week, Pastor Tim tackled the difficult question: how to prepare our loved one for hardship. He took his lead from Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples at the last supper. Jesus knew that he was about to undergo the greatest suffering of his life, but his thought was for his friends and disciples, whom he knew would be devastated.

When hurt and challenges come into our lives, the natural response is fight or flight. It is quite common to withdraw from those we love when we experience loss. Just as Jesus urged his disciples to pursue unity and to take care of one another, we need to resist the urge to withdraw. Instead we must engage deeper with one another, trusting God’s Spirit, the comforter, to do in us what we cannot do ourselves.

Life is God’s statement that he still has a plan. To safely navigate the waters of loss and grief, lean into God and trust him even if you don’t understand.

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