See in This Some Higher Plan

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses:
How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting

Post 33: See in This Some Higher Plan

Without Christ and a Christian perspective, we despair. We doubt. We give up any hope of ever making life work, of ever figuring out the mystery of life, of ever completing the puzzle. We trudge on in doubt, despair, and darkness.

Weaving: Grace Eyes

So what’s weaving? Weaving is entrusting myself to God’s larger purposes, good plans, and eternal perspective. It’s seeing life with spiritual eyes instead of eyeballs only. It’s looking at suffering, not with rose colored glasses, but with faith eyes, with Cross-eyes, with 20/20 spiritual vision.

When Terri returned for her next appointment, I asked her what made the difference in her life, what helped her to turn the corner. She said, “two things, no, two people. Joseph and the Bishop.” Joseph we’ll talk about in a minute. The Bishop we’ll talk about now.

Another Story Must Begin

I had asked Terri to watch Les Mis. There’s a classic scene where the star of the story, Jean val Jean, a paroled prisoner, takes advantage of the Bishop of Digne. Stealing from him, val Jean is captured by the French police. They return him to the Bishop, fully expecting the Bishop to implicate val Jean which would lead to a return to prison without hope for parole.

To the shock of everyone involved, the Bishop says, “But my brother, you forgot these,” and hands him silver candlesticks. The police release val Jean and leave. Then the Bishop says, “by the witness and the martyrs, by the passion and the blood, I have bought your soul for God, now become an honest man, see in this some higher plan.” Val Jean, floored by grace, changed by grace, concludes the scene by singing, “another story must begin.”

Terri, recounting this to me, said, “Now everything that happens to me, I’m looking for God’s higher plan. I’m setting my thoughts on things above—always wondering what God might be up to in this. For me, another story must begin—God’s story that doesn’t obliterate my painful story, but that gives it meaning.”

Weaving in Weaving

Where do we find weaving woven into the fabric of Scripture? That’s our topic for tomorrow.

God Comes

God’s Healing for Life’s Losses:
How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting

Post 17: God Comes

So far on our journey we have approached three road markers leading to three decision points.

*Confronting road marker one on our destination, we choose to move from denial to candor—honesty with our self about our grief.

*Facing road marker two on our destination, we choose to move from anger to complaint--honesty with God about our grief, pain, and confusion.

*Approaching road marker three on our destination, we choose to move from bargaining/works to cry—crying out to God in humble dependence.

Directional Choice Point Four: Depression or Comfort

In stage four, our journey leads us either to depression due to alienation and separation from God and others, or to finding comfort through communion with God and connection with God’s people.

To use a wrestling analogy (as a wrestling coach, I have to use at least one of these!):

*Through candor we choose to step on the mats with God.

*With complaint, the match begins.

*With cry, we cry “Uncle.” We say, “I’m pinned. I’m helpless. You win, God. Now I win, too.”

*Comfort, then, is the crippling touch of God that plants the seed for healing. In cry, we ask for God’s help. In comfort, we receive God’s help. In comfort, the God we cried out to, comes.

Depression/Alienation Described

In the typical fourth stage of grief, there’s a type of depression that we might best describe as hopelessness. The person accepts reality, but only from an earthly perspective. They can see no higher plan.

It reminds me of the chilling opening scene in the musical Les Mis. Hundreds of prisoners are chanting, “Look down, look down, don’t look them in the eyes.” They’re filled with shame.

Then one prisoner, Jean val Jean, attempts to break free from his emotional prison by singing that there are people who love him and are waiting for him when he’s released. The guards and even the other prisoners heap more shame upon him. One cries, “Sweet Jesus doesn’t care.” Others sing, “You’ll always be a slave, you’re standing in your grave.”

That’s hopelessness. That’s the fourth stage of grief without Christ. Or, as Paul says it in 1 Thessalonians, it is grieving without hope.

Now What?

Grief without hope—without Christ—is no place to stay. We need comfort. Tomorrow we’ll define and describe it, and in coming days we’ll explore how we find it in Christ and His people.