Grieving and Grateful 哀伤与感谢

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Dexu Xia

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Oct 7, 2022, 5:52:34 AM10/7/22

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The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. Job 1:21

After my mom died, one of her fellow cancer patients approached me. “Your mom was so kind to me,” she said, sobbing. “I’m sorry she died . . . instead of me.”

“My mom loved you,” I said. “We prayed God would let you see your boys grow up.” Holding her hands, I wept with her and asked God to help her grieve peacefully. I also thanked Him for her remission that allowed her to continue loving her husband and two growing children.

The Bible reveals the complexity of grief when Job lost almost everything, including all his children. Job grieved and “fell to the ground in worship” (Job 1:20). With a heartbreaking and hopeful act of surrender and expression of gratitude, he declared, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (v. 21). While Job would struggle mightily later through his grieving and God’s rebuilding of his life, in this moment he accepted and even rejoiced in His authority over the good and bad situations.

God understands the many ways we process and struggle with emotions. He invites us to grieve with honesty and vulnerability. Even when sorrow seems endless and unbearable, God affirms that He hasn’t and won’t change. With this promise, He comforts us and empowers us to be grateful for His presence.

When have you experienced gratitude toward God while grieving a great loss? How has He revealed His presence when you felt alone or misunderstood in your grief?

Compassionate God, thank You for knowing me and carrying me through every step of my grieving process.

赏赐的是耶和华，收取的也是耶和华。耶和华的名是应当称颂的。—约伯记1章21节

在母亲过世之后，她的一位癌症病友一边啜泣，一边对我说：“你母亲对我非常好，我很难过，没想到她竟然比我先走一步。”

我安慰她说：“我母亲很爱你，我和母亲都求上帝让你能看到儿子长大成人。”我握着她的手，跟她一起流泪祷告，祈求上帝帮助她在哀伤中仍有平安。我也感谢上帝让她的病情稳定，能继续陪伴她的丈夫和两个正在成长的孩子。

圣经让我们看到哀伤的多个层面。当约伯几乎失去一切，甚至痛失子女时，他虽悲恸不已但却依旧“伏在地上下拜”（约伯记1章20节）。约伯虽然哀伤却仍带着盼望顺服上帝，心怀感恩地说：“赏赐的是耶和华，收取的也是耶和华。耶和华的名是应当称颂的”（21节）。虽然约伯后来经过一番挣扎才走过哀伤，并经历上帝对他生命的重建，但在那时，他欣然接受无论情况好坏，上帝都掌管一切。

上帝了解我们对各种情绪的处理方式与挣扎。祂希望我们坦诚面对哀伤，甚至表现出脆弱的那一面。即使我们的哀伤似乎毫无止尽又难以承受，上帝保证祂的特质不曾也不会改变。藉着这个应许，上帝让我们的心得安慰，并使我们能对祂的同在心存感恩。

你曾在何时遭逢巨变，但在哀伤中仍感谢上帝？
你在哀伤中感到孤独或被误解时，上帝如何显明祂的同在？