Today’s Readings: Psalm 133; Joshua 1:1-9; John 15:1-17; Hebrews 11:32-12:2; Psalm 82
One of the most challenging pastoral care situations I deal with is helping individuals cope with the death of a loved one. This is particularly challenging when the deceased love one is a close family member (i.e. parent, child, spouse, etc). One of the most natural ways people initially deal with such a loss is to completely shut down for a period of time. Part of the reason we shut down is because we become overwhelmed by the tremendous pain we feel at the time of the loss. Another reason we tend to shut down is that a part of us feels as is we are dishonoring our deceased loved one if we were to continue with our life. Today’s reading from Joshua reminds us, however, that moving on with one’s life after a loss is an essential aspect of our life. (I would note here that when I saw “move on with our life”, I don’t mean minimize the loss or sweep it under the rug; instead, I mean find ways of connecting with life in such a way that you can hold on to a sense of purpose and meaning for yourself.) Moses and Joshua must have been extremely close given what they had experienced together during their time leading the people through the desert. Sadly, Moses was not able to see that journey through to its completion. It would have been so easy for Joshua to completely lose himself in his pain and shut down. He didn’t, however. Joshua knew that God was calling him to important work – work that would help culminate the Israelites efforts for the past 40 years. So Joshua did the unthinkable. He drew upon the incomprehensible strength and courage of his faith and helped the people arrive in the Promised Land despite his personal pain and feelings of dislocation. Many of us find ourselves in a similar place as Joshua. In the midst of our loss, we have those in our lives who depend on us and need us to go on. The next time you find yourself in such a place, where you start to feel guilty about moving on – remember Joshua’s story. It might help you deal with your own grief process. Til next time…
One of the most challenging pastoral care situations I deal with is helping individuals cope with the death of a loved one. This is particularly challenging when the deceased love one is a close family member (i.e. parent, child, spouse, etc). One of the most natural ways people initially deal with such a loss is to completely shut down for a period of time. Part of the reason we shut down is because we become overwhelmed by the tremendous pain we feel at the time of the loss. Another reason we tend to shut down is that a part of us feels as is we are dishonoring our deceased loved one if we were to continue with our life. Today’s reading from Joshua reminds us, however, that moving on with one’s life after a loss is an essential aspect of our life. (I would note here that when I saw “move on with our life”, I don’t mean minimize the loss or sweep it under the rug; instead, I mean find ways of connecting with life in such a way that you can hold on to a sense of purpose and meaning for yourself.) Moses and Joshua must have been extremely close given what they had experienced together during their time leading the people through the desert. Sadly, Moses was not able to see that journey through to its completion. It would have been so easy for Joshua to completely lose himself in his pain and shut down. He didn’t, however. Joshua knew that God was calling him to important work – work that would help culminate the Israelites efforts for the past 40 years. So Joshua did the unthinkable. He drew upon the incomprehensible strength and courage of his faith and helped the people arrive in the Promised Land despite his personal pain and feelings of dislocation. Many of us find ourselves in a similar place as Joshua. In the midst of our loss, we have those in our lives who depend on us and need us to go on. The next time you find yourself in such a place, where you start to feel guilty about moving on – remember Joshua’s story. It might help you deal with your own grief process. Til next time…
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