By Babett Horn
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this blog. My name is Babett Horn and I’m a speaker and author with International Women’s Ministries.
The title of this blog is the Fellowship of Grief. Not a particularly popular topic. I don’t hear many Ted Talks or podcasts that explore this experience. However in this season of Lent , as we approach the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, it seems very fitting to sit with this for a bit.
Genesis and the Grieving Heart of God
Let’s start with a broad look at Genesis. In the very first chapter God is creating and He continually says, “It is good”. Then He creates humankind and says, “It is VERY good”. However, a lot of stuff happens in the first six chapters and by chapter 6 it’s a different story.
“The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human heart had become, and his thoughts were wicked all the time. God’s heart was very grieved”
Genesis 6:5-6
Can we sit with this honesty ? God did not look away. He is not detached or distant. He sees thoughts and motives. He is aware of the evil done on the earth. Where is He in the midst of it? He’s grieving. That’s where He is. His sorrow is not from anger but from a love that has been wounded.
Have you had an experience of wounded love? Perhaps a loss of someone you loved deeply? A job loss or loss of health? In these times we question, “Where is God in my suffering”? The answer is, “He is grieving too”.
Invited Into the Suffering of Christ
Not only is He in our grief, but as followers of Christ we are invited into the suffering of Christ.
What do we do with Philippians 3:10?
“I want to know Christ-yes and His suffering to become like Him in His death.”
Or what about 1 Peter 4:13?
“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”
How are these verses lived out? The key is in the last part of the previous verse, when His glory is revealed. We are not told that our lives will be free of suffering. Contrary to that, we are promised that we will have suffering. We are invited into it so that we can share in the suffering of Christ. But WHY?
Because our suffering has redemptive value. Just like the cross of Christ had redemptive value. His suffering revealed Gods glory when he resurrected. The promise of Heaven is our promise. The promise of our suffering being redeemed is our promise. It is not for nothing. It is to reveal God. It is to allow us to know that God is in our grief. He shares in our fellowship of grief.
A Personal Testimony
I share this in this blog because I know first hand the suffering of grief and the fellowship of God in my grief. In 2016 my oldest daughter , Joriale, unexpectedly passed away at 28.
In a book I wrote titled, The Choreography of Grief, I share the moment I knew God had entered my suffering. In the paragraph No Labels page 43 I wrote,
“ I sat with my pain. I clutched it like a child who held her favorite blanket. I asked God not to take it. I thanked God for the pain. I became grateful. I was not detached; I was present in my grief. Present but longing for more”.
What was that “more”? Eternity. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that God has placed eternity in our hearts. This is important because it allows us to refocus our suffering on to the day His Glory is revealed. Just as Jesus did. After the resurrection we know that Christ visited his followers and showed them his scars. He proclaimed to them, “Look. I suffered. I died. Look at my scars that prove I am who I said I am.” He proclaimed His resurrected body and His entry into Eternity. We have those same promises!
The Sacred Work of Grief
It is a sacred work of the Holy Spirit when we are invited into the suffering of Christ. It is also sacred when we invite Christ into our suffering.
Let the God who enters into the Fellowship of Grief redeem your suffering through His glory as we look to the Easter season.
