Turning to God to Get Through Grief by Mundy Linus;

Author:Mundy, Linus;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CareNotes

Suffering can have redeeming value. After years of infertility, we conceived and prepared for the birth of our first child. After some hours of labor, we made the drive to the local hospital. As we entered the birthing room, I remember feeling afraid of the pain and of the unknown.

I was 30 years old, had a great husband/ coach by my side, and we were, if anything, over-prepared for childbirth. But I was still nervous and fearful. The nurses told us that there was only one other woman in labor—a 16-year-old girl who was all alone. The stark contrast was not lost on me.

As I labored through the night—and on occasion heard that young woman cry out in pain—I remember wishing that she was not alone, offering my own pain for her. It sounds kind of corny as I write it now, but it is a vivid memory. I have always believed that my prayer for her eased my own pain.

Although it is difficult to explain, there are many who say that their suffering is made bearable by the belief that, offered on behalf of others, suffering is a source of grace and transformation. There are times, quite frankly, when those words scare me, for who wants to open the door to suffering? At the same time, my birthing-room experience was a story of grace in my own life that makes me a believer.

Take Heart

It is obvious that the pain of childbirth brings forth life. The pain and suffering of terminal illness does not seem to have such a reward. But if we believe that we were created for eternal life, and that death is simply the crossing from one life to another, then suffering does lead to life. It is not a view of suffering that is often espoused. It is, however, at the center of Christian faith. From death and suffering come life.

One of my favorite hymns, Pues Si Vivimos/If We Are Living, has a simple haunting melody, with these words: “If we are living, we are in the Lord, and if we die, we are in the Lord. For if we live or if we die, we belong to God, we belong to God.” These words can serve as a reminder to all of us that, no matter what, we do belong to God, and we are never alone.

Peggy Ekerdt is a pastoral associate and spiritual director at Visitation Church in Kansas City, Missouri. She is married to David Ekerdt and the mother of two twenty-something daughters.

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