Several friends have experienced, within the recent past, the loss of loved ones, including fathers, mothers, offspring, relatives and friends. There's a lot of grieving going on.
"I could have done something to stop it. I should have done something. I should have seen it coming," is a common mental and emotional attack, but death comes when God determines and coming to grips with that truth can be difficult.
For many years, I worked as a crisis counselor for a Christian ministry, manning a phone at nights, at all hours. Weeks of classes, twice attended, taught me a counseling technique called "active listening," which is merely the mirroring of statements spoken by the caller, and leading the conversation to their feelings. From there, I would ask what they've done about their feelings of hatred, their depression, their heartache, etc.
Lots of grieving parents exist today. A couple Scriptures I would often tell callers were the words written in Job, the Old Testament guy who lost his animals, the servants that were with the animals, as well as all of Job's sons and daughters while they were eating together. Talk about grief!
Job 42:10, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." Praying for others, while we are desiring comfort, is a godly response to loss.
Remember when God took David's son from him, the one conceived in adultry? What did David do when he heard his son was dead? 2 Samuel 12:21, ".....David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
"Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped..."
"I could have done something to stop it. I should have done something. I should have seen it coming," is a common mental and emotional attack, but death comes when God determines and coming to grips with that truth can be difficult.
For many years, I worked as a crisis counselor for a Christian ministry, manning a phone at nights, at all hours. Weeks of classes, twice attended, taught me a counseling technique called "active listening," which is merely the mirroring of statements spoken by the caller, and leading the conversation to their feelings. From there, I would ask what they've done about their feelings of hatred, their depression, their heartache, etc.
Lots of grieving parents exist today. A couple Scriptures I would often tell callers were the words written in Job, the Old Testament guy who lost his animals, the servants that were with the animals, as well as all of Job's sons and daughters while they were eating together. Talk about grief!
Job 42:10, "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." Praying for others, while we are desiring comfort, is a godly response to loss.
Remember when God took David's son from him, the one conceived in adultry? What did David do when he heard his son was dead? 2 Samuel 12:21, ".....David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
"Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped..."