Listen to my voice. My words pierce your heart but bring healing. Let the infection gush out. Let me pour healing salve into your wounds. Let me bring healing.
Of course this hurts. Pain is not evil but only a sign of a wound. You have lost a part of yourself. The two were one and that was ripped away.
Of course you have pain. But I will heal you. I bring newness. I transform.
I will never leave you. I will never be torn from you.
Rest in me. Lay your head on my chest. Feel my arms holding you close. Feel my warm embrace.
I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Always.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
Let the petals rain over the ones battered by this world’s hurts and loss.
Be my girl of vibrant colors, of delicate flowers, of graceful blossoms.
Share the beauty of healing.
Love them as I love you.
And as I love them.
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
Consider the blades of a windmill, spinning in the wind.
Although you can’t control the wind, you can harness its power when you let the windmill blades spin.
Think of the blades as your interests and abilities–gifts from me.
During times of grief, you wish the blades would stop spinning. You don’t want any changes. You think that allowing the wind to produce fresh energy – a new life that your loved one will never share with you – is disloyal.
You know better. When the center needs attention, pour oil into it. Prepare the windmill and welcome the wind. It will produce newness.
Stay alert to the winds of change. We still have much to do together.
Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe…
The tiger roars in the forest around you, but you do not hear. The hyena growls, but you are deaf to its threats. Because I muffle the sound.
I love you, dear one, and I keep you from harm.
Hold my hand on this journey and I will cover you. I love you with an everlasting love and I will keep you safe.
Don’t walk away and trust your own resources. Yours are not enough. Mine are infinite. No evil can touch you.
Trust me.
I am here.
Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.
Tears are okay. They come in love. Let regrets and loss flow. Let memories crowd your mind.
You will never forget Matt. He changed your life. You changed his. You were melded together and the sudden tearing of your heart was a knife driven deep.
Respect his courage in his last days. Respect his faith. He embraced the love of others, from you, from me.
Let me stroke your hair and hold you close. Tears come. Don’t fight them.
Remember: with love comes pain. With memories comes loss. Let the tears flow, my love, at least for now.
Tears are part of healing. You will carry scars, but you will walk again.
Trust me to carry you. I love you and I will carry you.
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!
Do you see a cave before you? The rocks glow with yellows and oranges and pinks, with love to me.
Then rugged stones sing in gentle tones, exploring their voice, praising me.
Below your feet, the rock glows with each step.
Within this cave, surrounded by translucent rock which finds its voice in joy and life, I carved a path for you. You have future steps to take. I ask you to walk.
And I ask you to sing.
When you sing, your words echo from the rocks, chiseled and translucent. Bright light glows from behind the surface of these rocks as you sing. Celebrate new life, my child.
Understand: this is not a closed cavern but a passageway formed by my love for you.
Take more steps.
Sing more songs.
[Jesus] replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” Luke 19:40
Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015).
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