It’s OK, to Not Be OK
As I mentioned in my last article, the past few weeks have been one insane trial after another. It included everything from having my 8 month old son being life flighted and placed in the ICU, to packing for a 6 month relocation in one day, a 1750 mile road trip with 2 kids in 2 1/2 days, my Grandpa that I was very close with passing away, and my husband leaving me for his 6 month military deployment.
Through all of this I have felt stress, sadness, grief, and a burden like I’ve never felt before in my life. As I was thinking about it Job came to my mind. In the first chapter he lost his house, his home, and nearly all his family in one day. I felt like I had tasted just a tiny bit of those kinds of things.
In Job 1:20-22 we find this:
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
In that day tearing your clothes into pieces and shaving your head was a sign of horrible grief. I almost think of Job as falling to the ground under the grief and pain of everything that just happened. Clearly, he was not OK. But its his response that is the important part. In the midst of showing intense, horrible grief, he worships God, and does not blame God for anything.
These 3 verses speak volumes to me. It shows me that God is OK with us having deep grief and pain. He is, in fact, OK with us crying out and wondering why on earth it is going on. In all of this that we do we “sin not”. It’s not until we start “charging God foolishly” that there is a problem. We need to accept what happens realizing that nothing is truly our own, and not allow our pain, our grieving to allow us to become bitter or angry towards God. Even when you’re not OK, you can still fall on your face with tears streaming down your cheeks in worship to God. You can tell Him, “Lord–I don’t understand, I’m hurt, I’m grieving, I have such a heavy burden pressing down on me. But I know that you know what you’re doing. Blessed be your name”. When you find yourself at this place, then you’ll be worshiping God in a way you’ve probably never done before, and what a wonderful and amazing thing that is!
Copyright © Nicole Elliott, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved
So true! God understands our tears and heartbrake! When we turn to God through our hardships and through or grief instead of blaming Him, He truely does give us beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning! I too have had plenty to be not ok about in the past. Today I am able to look behind me and see where He had me in His hands the whole time, and I can even manage a tearful smile of thanks for the experiences and the amazing soul growth that they brought to my life. Thank you for the beautiful words of encoragement this morning! You have reminded me of the times God saw me through and helped me to put today into perspective.
What inspiring writing! Thank you for the wonderful insights into this passage – it’s something we will all need if we haven’t already! May God bless you and your family!