Lessons in the Garden: The Unexpected Grief

Grief can be an uncomfortable subject, but don’t close your browser yet. Reader, my prayer for you is, as you read this post, the Lord ministers to you as you walk through grief.

Let us begin with looking at a definition of the word “grief.” Grief is a “deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement.” Now, look closer at the word “bereavement.” Bereavement is “the state or fact of being bereaved or deprived of something or someone.” It is noteworthy the use of the word “something” in the definition of bereavement, for it illustrates how one not only grieves a person, but things as well.

What are some things one might grieve? Some things one might grieve might be what they do not yet have such as a long-awaited desire. For example, when the wait for the desire for marriage or the wait for the desire for children is far longer than expected, the deeper the pain can become, and grief sets in. In addition, one might grieve what they lost such as the loss of a marriage through divorce, the loss of a pet, loss of a job, loss of a home, and the list can keep going.

There is also the unexpected grief experienced in obedience to the Lord. Teaching was never the career path I envisioned for myself when I was a teenager because I viewed teaching to be a calling for people who have more of an extroverted personality, and for people who have excellent verbal communication. Even so, as Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” The Lord took me on quite the journey, which brought me to (surprise!) teaching; I never thought I would love teaching. One of the wonderful things about God is He knows us all so much better than we know ourselves, for He created us.

Still, as with anything the Lord calls us to do, there are difficult aspects to it too. The grief in being a teacher was unexpected. When the school year ends, the loss of the bonds you shared for that school year with the children you spent so many hours each week caring for them and watching them grow as they learn can be painful. A question starts to arise: God, why did you call me to do this when it hurts? Can you relate?

Jesus our Lord and Savior knows all about the grief which comes in obedience. After Jesus explained to His twelve disciples at the Last Supper what was about to happen to Him and how one of the twelve would be the one to betray Him, we next read in Matthew 26:36-46 Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In verse 39, we read, “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’” How Jesus navigated His distress knowing the pain which was to come was part of His mission is an example to us amid the grief we walk through. A few things we must do in our grieving is:

• Pray to God the Father.
• Face our pain with Him.
• Ask Him to use it for His will and glory.

The pain Jesus experienced on the way to the cross and on the cross led to Him defeating Satan once and for all. It also led to those who believe Jesus died and rose from the dead (and believe He is Lord) to being saved from an eternity in hell.

No one wants to walk through grief, and yet, it is a reality we all have or will experience. Do not avoid it, and do not go through it alone. God wants to walk through it with you, and He wants to help you see this grief as an opportunity. An opportunity for you to experience how in the pain He comforts, and an opportunity for you to see how God wants to use it for His glory, which includes it being part of your testimony to others of God’s faithfulness amid unexpected grief.

All Bible verses are from Holy Bible: English Standard Version