Grieve Well, Live Well week 8 No Other Gods

No Other Gods

Have you experienced a traumatic loss? It is that loss which leaves you feeling as though you just got kicked in the gut, the rug was pulled out from under you and you find there is now nothing under your feet; you fall not knowing how far the bottom is beneath you. It is the loss that blindsided you even if you thought you knew it was coming it still came out of nowhere. Yes, that kind of loss. This is the loss that disables your equilibrium and sends you into a tail spin. This is traumatic loss.

Maybe it was the death of a spouse, your “better half” who was by your side for richer or poorer, through the good times and the bad which wedding vows speak of. They were your right hand, the one who took the trash out and balanced the checkbook. Maybe this was a parent who loved you even when you were flunking math and your room was knee deep in clothes. They loved you in spite of knowing all your shortcomings.

For me, it was my children’s deaths.  The ones who defined my life with purpose:  homeschooling, feeding, clothing, and bathing them. Together Scott and I poured our hearts into leading them toward the paths of righteousness. Now, I am no longer a mother of four as my job description changed in one breath, one heartbeat. I was devastated, traumatized and felt as if I could not go on. For a while my life stood still and the thought of one step at a time was too big, I had to get through each moment before going on to the next. It took time but I realized this loss was not central to my being. I could go on for the one central to my life was still there. Jesus promised though my house felt empty, though half my children no longer waked this earth, He would never leave me or forsake me. He kept His promise and He was still by my side, closer than my next breath.

No one wants to feel the pain of loss. It is traumatic when someone who was once here is no longer. If that person was the center of your life it may seem as though now there is no reason to go on. If you do go on you may want to wall yourself off from any relationship, for relationships end in pain. Our culture wants us to think we can create a shell around our hearts, letting no one in. By doing so we believe we  can avoid getting deeply hurt. Taking this position can lead to a very dangerous place. When you wall yourself off you have created a prison for no one but you.

God does not want that for us. He wants our hearts to be tender and compassionate. He gave us the solution in the very beginning, “Have no other God’s before me” (Exodus 20:3). Placing God at the center of our lives gives us a place of refuge when all else goes wrong. “Because you are my help I will sing under the shadow of your wing” (Psalm 63:7). There is comfort in knowing we are safe in God’s arms when the entire world is against us. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

If you are feeling as if you lost your purpose, your center, and you cannot go on, consider putting Christ at the center of your life. He brings peace, strength, and refuge in the storm. With Christ in the center of our lives we are able to face any trial for “If God is for us who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31). We do not have a choice whether to have trial or not. We all face storms; it is part of living on this earth. Our choice is who we go to when life is at its worst. Even when you don’t feel God, he is there.

What do you do to keep Christ in the center of your life?