Patricia Raybon wrote this when she said, “After my beloved husband of forty-nine years passed away, I found big tasks and tough decisions hard to make. I got up daily and completed a few jobs — going outside to water my flowers, sweeping the porch, pulling a few weeds — then I could somehow start another day without my husband. My daily tasks were glorifying God as He kindly carried me through the sorrow of loneliness and grief.”
In the Bible, it plainly tells us that whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of God (Colossians 3:17). Grief is a part of our fallen world. We see and hear it every day; it’s in our neighborhoods, our communities, now in our schools, within our own homes and the church. Grief is an all-too-familiar emotion that plagues this world. Grief is a natural emotional and physical response to a significant loss, especially the death of someone or something you care about. This is according to the American Psychological Association.
“Grief is the deep anguish you feel when you experience a major loss.” It affects the whole body and mind. But what causes grief? “The end of a romantic relationship or marriage. Losing a job or retiring from a career. Changes to your health, home or physical independence. Moving away from a familiar place or community.”
The thing about grief is that it is contagious; when we are around grieving people, it draws us into it with them. It’s an emotional attachment to them in their grieving moment; that’s why some people don’t like being around grieving people. It affects them, too.
But the reality is, we can’t avoid it — in the lives of others and in our own lives. As a part of the human race, it is what we all have in common. That’s why God knew that it is not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Grieving alone is not healthy physically, mentally or emotionally. To not have someone to come alongside you, like a friend, a loved one, a church member or someone you love, to walk with you through this process can be difficult. Many of us can testify that when we were going through our grieving moment, the burden was made easier and lighter as the result of someone’s tender touch, words of comfort, a phone call, a word of prayer or just being there.
But community, even in grief, God can get the glory because we need to realize that God wants the glory out of no matter what we are going through. He wants to be blessed no matter what the situation. At some point in all of our grief, He wants us to move from grief to glory!
Grieving is a part of life, but there comes a time for the Christian believer that we must find a way for God to get the glory from it; a time when we get up and worship through some means or another. Remember Job? Out of all his losses and his grief, he could still say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job worshipped (Job 1:21).
The lady I mentioned earlier, who lost her husband of 49 years, found decisions hard to make. But she got up every day and started doing small jobs like sweeping the porch and pulling a few weeds. In other words, she started doing something. And she found that in doing something, she was bringing glory to God.
Community friends, we are in all things that come our way to find a way to bring God glory through it! It’s a testimony when we do; it says a lot about our Christian faith when we do.
Paul said, “And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the NAME of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17).” …That’s it right there! As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. Because Jesus Christ is God, and He has died for us, we have authority in His name. All that we say and do should be associated with the name of Jesus Christ. By our words and our works, we should glorify His name. We should both live and walk for His glory.
The question we need to ask ourselves in anything that we do, say, speak, the way we act, even in our grieving, is, “Is God getting the glory out of this?” Am I embarrassing the NAME of Jesus by my behavior? When folk see me, and hear how I talk, look at my walk or judge my actions, am I a dead giveaway that I’m associated with His name? Is my attitude a reflection of who He is? Do folk say, “You act just like your Father?”
That’s what we need to ask ourselves. If we permit anything into our lives that cannot be associated with the name of Jesus, then we are sinning. We suffer persecution because we bear His name (John 15:20–21). The devil doesn’t like us because of His name.
Paul tells the Christian slaves to “obey your masters in all things” (vs. 22) …and whatever you do, do it from your hearts like you’re doing it for God Himself.
When we work on our jobs, work faithfully as if you’re working for God Himself. Be the best Christian that you can be. Christians, do what you do in HIS name; serve in His name; give thanks in His name; sing in His name; talk in His name; walk in His name; worship in His name; and when we do, we move from “grief to glory.”