My teenage daughter is visiting her dear friend who’s little brother was killed in an accident just a few days ago. The family has great faith that their loved one is with God. I agree, yet that doesn’t mean the days ahead will be easy. As my daughter asked me how she can help her friend and show her love and support we talked a little about the emotions her friend will go through in the days ahead. Will anger be one of them and is that okay?
Have you ever felt angry at God? I have. Sometimes we may think that makes us bad or lacking faith yet judging and criticizing our selves for how we feel does not make the anger go away it just compounds the shame and guilt we feel, which just separates us further from Heavenly Father. What if instead we just told Him how we felt, maybe even yelled at Him? What if instead we let the emotion, that frankly He already knows is there, out?
Consider this, the death of a young child is tragic. Yes, we know He is with God yet the child’s parents still ache to hold him one more time. Or what of the wife whose husband has been unfaithful? The woman who was brutally abused as a child, the mother who’s children are wayward, the woman at church who looks “perfect” and happy yet silently considers suicide because she feels like a failure? These are real examples of women I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and help find healing in Christ. In each situation there is faith that God is real, that He does love us and there is a plan. Each situation also holds confusion, fear, anger and heartache. What if instead of judging and burying that fear we let it out to God. What if we told Him and let the pain and anguish purge from our hearts leaving a space for Him to flood in with His love and healing? Not for the sake of blaming and hating Him but in a trusting child way of “I am angry! This isn’t fair and I don’t understand, nevertheless I trust thee, please hold me and show me the way.”
Pain is a very real part of this earth “school”. So are healing and joy and faith! I don’t know why some of us face trials and pain others do not, yet I know they have their own, they just might not be as publicly seen. Yet I do know with all my heart and mind that God is real, He is good, He has a plan and He wants to make us whole. Sometimes our part is to get the anger and pain out of the way so there is a space for His healing and solace.
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