Grief

When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. -Luke 22:45

Why is that that I always miss things the first hundred times I read them? The first hundred times that I read Luke 22:39-46 I just thought that it was late and the disciples fell asleep. I am just now realizing that they fell asleep because they were exhausted from sorrow.

Maybe at the time I didn’t quite understand what that meant, but unfortunately now I’ve had a couple of occurances where I have been in such unresolved grief that I finally could do nothing else but just go to sleep. Its not a good feeling. And its not a sleep that you are rested from. Its only a sleep that you get after getting to that hopeless point where there isn’t anything else you can do.

I hope to never have that kind of sorrow again but this scripture does seem to lend some guidance to what to do if you are in such a situation:

1) Pray and ask for strength. Jesus prayed and an angel gave him strength. I’m not exactly sure how this manifested itself but he was able to stay awake and fulfill his destiny on the cross so he surely got strength in some manner.

2) Surround yourself with others who will pray with and for you. Jesus asked his friends to wake up and pray with him. There is something to be said about unity in grief that makes it a bit more bearable.

May you find only happiness and peace during this Lent, but if you do find sorrow may God bless you and give you strength.

Until Everyone Hears,