As I have been walking through the immense loss of my beloved husband, I am reminded of these truths to embrace during any season of suffering that will help align our perspective.
- Timing – The reality that this present suffering is not forever. God’s word says that we are called to endure for “a little while” before He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you(1 Peter 5:10). When we view this suffering as temporary, compared to the vastness of eternity, it equips us with perspective to endure.
- Enrichment- God has promised that if we persevere we will be refined as precious gold. We will be enriched by perseverance, have proven character and hope according to Romans 5:3-5. Our lives and how we view life will never be the same because of our suffering. We will live differently with more purpose and with a greater outlook on the gifts we have truly been given.
- Purpose- It will be for our good and for His glory. Embrace the fact that God can use our pain for great purpose if we allow Him too. God has a purpose with a plan in whatever we are facing. Won’t you ask Him to use your pain for a great purpose? Suffering is to hard to be wasted on just ourselves.
- Sovereignty- God is in control of your circumstances and nothing is beyond His reach. As a believer, anything that touches us has sifted thru our creator’s hands. Refuse to play the “what if” game and embrace the Great I AM who has allowed this to happen in conjunction with His will for your life.
- Comfort- Whether you are mourning a dream, a death, or a divorce, no matter what pain you are going through, God promises to be our comfort and never leave us alone in our suffering. He is holding us tight as we walk thru this pain. Even in your pain, you can comfort and serve others, it helps get the focus off yourself and is a reminder that just as God comforts you, you can in turn comfort others.
- Hope- No matter how difficult your situation is there is always hope. As long as we are breathing, there is hope. Our Heavenly Father who has prepared a place for us for all eternity and will take care of our needs for all eternity, is capable of changing the trajectory of any situation. Hope reminds us there is always something to be thankful for and the God of all hope who would love to fill you with Himself. Embrace that there is still hope no matter what you are facing.
Comments 10
Beautifully written sweet sister. We persevere together and will suffer for a while…….Yesterday would have been my Bill’s 66th birthday. He was a diligent servant and an encourager. A couple of my friends from church and I took lunch to our classmates who have some major health issues and are housebound. We enjoyed great fun and fellowship. I imagined my Bill smiling at this picture. It was in turn an encouraging day for me! Please know I think of you and pray for you often.
Thank you for sharing! So grateful it was an encouraging day for you! So grateful for your prayers!
Dearest Brittany, I lost my precious husband, a Godly man, Ray, on October 17, 2015. That seems to be around the time of your husband’s going Home, too. It’s been seven months, and yet it’s been only a week or two in my heart. I have kept up with your messages and such, and have to tell you how much they have meant to me. Even so, my acceptance nowhere matches yours. Ray had aggressive prostate cancer for 5+ years. Much of that time, especially the last year and a half, were spent at Emory University Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital, as we, too, live in the Atlanta area. During that time, I thought I had mustered up enough faith and trust in God that I would be equipped to handle Ray’s passing. Not so. All that’s on my mind is the fact that I will never see or hear him again, in this lifetime on this earth. I understand God’s promise of eternal life to those who believe in Him, but right at this moment, that does very little to console my shredded heart. I want to see Ray now. I want to put my arms around him now. I want to hear him say, ” love you.” To think of year after year after year of longing for this, and it not happening, leaves me with such a hopeless feeling. This must be disappointing to God to know how shallow my thoughts are. What really, truly helps you through times like these? Maybe, perhaps, you are so much stronger, faith-wise, that you seldom entertain these thoughts. You have three beautiful little sons, who each have many of their Daddy’s traits, so in one sense, you do have your husband, indirectly. My children are your husband’s age, and they were Ray’s step-children. Ray had no children of his own. I feel what I feel, Brittany. Does that say my faith has weakened, am I having a pity-party for myself, or is it the fact that something/someone bigger than myself has had more control of what happens in my life than I had? It seems so uncomplicated for you. I have to “pretend” my way through everything . . . pretend Ray is on a long, long mission trip, pretend Ray is due to return home but gets incredibly delayed, pretend Ray chooses to move to another far-away location to teach the Gospel. It’s one pretentious scenario after another because I’m not willing to let him go. The manner in which you have accepted your husband’s passing is unfathomable to me. I only wish I had the tiniest portion of what faith and trust you have, Brittany.
Susan my heart is breaking with you and for you. This journey of widowhood is one that is so difficult and gut wrenching. It’s not easy in any way and it’s hard one to grasp. The finality of death is so hard on our hearts. I too miss my man so much that is hurts, I cry and want him so badly too. You are not alone! It’s not our faith but WHO we have faith in that carries us. This burden is too hard to carry alone. God is no disappointed in our pain, He is holding us through it. It’s not wrong to hurt, cry, grieve and miss them with every fiber of our being. It’s normal and it’s good, our men are worth missing. The days are hard and raw. We may not feel hope or see it but we must believe God is who He said He is even when our hearts can’t feel it. He sees every tear you cry and He cares, He holds every one of them in a bottle. Grief is just such a crazy, uncomfortable, raw and vulnerable journey BUT one of much growth as we press into the Lord even when we don’t feel it. You are loved. I’m so sorry for all the pain! Also my email is mrsbrittanyprice@gmail.com if you could email me your address I would love to send you a book that has been such a sweet encouragement to me during this time.
Your comments on 6 ways to handle grief were so TRUE. God’s Word is our Comfort and His Presence is real. My husband has been getting nearer to his heavenly home for 5 years now. He has lost so much, his power of speech, of walking, feeding himself . But he has accepted this season in our lives and we pray that God will be glorified in these days. yes, we miss going to church together, visiting the children and grandchildren, but each day is a precious gift and we try to embrace it and give thanks for one more day. And we look into each others eyes and communicate our love .
Probably the most helpful thing to me at this point is to get in the car, turn up the CD player and listen to Stephen Curtis Chapman’s CD, The Glorious Unfolding. My soul feels refreshed.
Your life and family continue to inspire us.
Im so sorry for the pain and suffering y’all are enduring but so grateful for the way you are pressing into Jesus and His precious word! Thank you for your encouragement!
Hi Brittany! Somehow I stumbled across your blog and started reading about your journey. I’m so sorry for your loss! Your faith and insight are such an inspiration to me. I’m going through my own version of grief and pain and to read about your faith and walk with our Savior has brought me so much comfort today. May God continue to bless you and your sweet family.
Jennifer, thank you so much for taking the time to write me and encourage me. I just spent time praying for you, I don’t know what you are going through but the Lord does know. I’m just so sorry for your pain! Grateful for the Lord and faithful He is in the good and hard times. Blessings to you girl!
Brittany, I left a comment on your Youtube video but I am so happy to have found your blog. Your words above are so true and appreciated. Thank you for using your pain as a platform to share the wisdom that the Lord has given you. Be blessed today as a sister in Christ prays for your family!
Lisa you are just so so precious! Thank you so much for taking the time to write me and encourage me and most of all for your precious prayers! What an amazing gift from the Lord! Blessings to you sweet sister in Christ!