One of the saddest funerals I ever preached was that of a teen age boy in our church who had been killed in a car wreck. This was the text for my message on that day. After the service we met at the parents house and the father asked me to take a walk with him. After walking around farm for a while he started crying and said, “Brother Stone, I have been so busy taking care of all this that I never took time to stop and smell the roses. I should have spent more time with my son and now it’s too late”. What do you say to a man in such grief? I simply reminded him of the words of this text. We can’t change the past, but in God we can find the strength to keep going. In God we reason for hope in the future. God not only will help us, He will use the bad for some good.
Turning Point magazine related this story: “In November 2004, two North Carolina buddies, Dale Beatty and John Gallina, were wounded when their vehicle hit an anti-tank mine in Iraq. John received severe head and back injuries. Dale lost both legs below the knee. Neither man let their injuries stop them. Returning home, they formed an organization to provide accessible housing solutions for disabled veterans. Their story has widely appeared in the media, and they’ve been called part of “the new greatest generation.” Their slogan: “When hearts come together, great things happen.”
We can’t always control what happens to us, but we are responsible for our response. It takes time to work through painful and injurious episodes in life; but nothing is wasted in the providence of God. He knows how to take every burden and bring from it a blessing. Obstacles are stepping stones, not roadblocks.
In times of loss, it’s necessary to grieve, process the pain, ask questions, and allow ourselves to cycle through natural human emotions. But all the while, we can cry to the Lord. When overwhelmed, we can pray, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
We may not be able to rejoice about our circumstances, but we can rejoice in the Lord, and that gives us remarkable strength. God can make life not only bearable, but also a blessing.
