PAIN
I have pain within my heart,
Its wrenched my soul and mind apart.
Like roots that move a concrete base,
Its etched its lines upon my face.
As earthquakes rock the sleeping land,
I hold my faith in shaking hands.
I wait to hear the still small voice
That tells me now I have a choice
To choose the straight and narrow path,
Give up the struggle, forget the past;
To run the race, seek out the prize,
Let God’s truth subdue the lies,
Let his love cover a multitude of sins
And God’s grace refresh my spirit within.
By C Colburn
Pain, that deep inner pain of sadness and sorrow, is never just pain but anger, fear even, and despair. When my little boy died the pain of losing him was fearsome. I had to go home and tell my wife our boy is dead. I had to tell our two other children. I had no words that could express how I felt. We drew down the blinds so that everyone in the neighbourhood would know that someone had died in our family. I thought it insane that the world just carried on as before. The milkman called and delivered milk, the postman called to deliver mail. My mind kept asking why? Why is everyone just doing what they do everyday? That was incomprehensible to me. Then a visitor everyone dreads called. He was the undertaker. Then it began to sink in that life has to go on no matter what happens, like during the second world war when bombs landed on our town. I was four at the time. My dad and I went to see the damage. A whole road and all the houses on it demolished. People had to go on living even though their hearts were breaking.
Little by little my boy’s death began to be real. I had to ring our relations, granddads and grandma’s, mums and dads and break the terrible news to them. I had to go to work as usual. All the time my heart was breaking and I just wanted to cry and cry. But I couldn’t. I had to be strong even though I was weak. Then a knock came on our door. I opened it to find a stranger standing there, a young woman. ‘We are so sorry, Mr. Perry, that your little boy has died. Everyone in the neighboured send their sympathies and they have collected this money to give you.’
I was astonished. People did not just go on doing what they do. They shared our grief. They wanted to help. It was a great comfort to us that our neighbours cared.
My wife’s dad and mum came to stay with us for a while and that was a great support, too. Our church family shared in our grief and that was comforting. But I must confess to you that the pain remained even though I knew that our child was in God’s heavenly home and that he was safe in the arms of Jesus. As I write these words tears flow from my heart for I loved my boy so much.
ACCEPTANCE
We have to be prepared for sorrow and death because in this life there is no alternative but to accept it. I can tell you now that if you want a peace of mind so that the choice to go on living is possible, you must accept death in whatever form it comes to grieve and disturb you. As Job said, ‘The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21)
The Father gave his Son to die on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven and so that we might go at last to heaven saved by his precious blood. That is the price Jesus paid for being in this world, a world of sin and death. None of his disciples accepted this. How could someone so good and holy be condemned to die a criminals death? Why? Why? Why? Because the world is opposed to goodness and love. That is the true answer. Now I see clearly that death is a transition, as are all deaths, for Jesus died and rose again to give us the gospel, the good news of God’s love that ‘whosoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life.’
The reality of life in this world is like nature, it is Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Things grow, they bloom they get old and they die, but there is always a Spring to look forward too. The life of Jesus is the eternal spring. If we share in his life then we will share also in his spring.
Below are the four faces of life
I have pain within my heart,
Its wrenched my soul and mind apart.
Like roots that move a concrete base,
Its etched its lines upon my face.
As earthquakes rock the sleeping land,
I hold my faith in shaking hands.
I wait to hear the still small voice
That tells me now I have a choice
To choose the straight and narrow path,
Give up the struggle, forget the past;
To run the race, seek out the prize,
Let God’s truth subdue the lies,
Let his love cover a multitude of sins
And God’s grace refresh my spirit within.
By C Colburn
Pain, that deep inner pain of sadness and sorrow, is never just pain but anger, fear even, and despair. When my little boy died the pain of losing him was fearsome. I had to go home and tell my wife our boy is dead. I had to tell our two other children. I had no words that could express how I felt. We drew down the blinds so that everyone in the neighbourhood would know that someone had died in our family. I thought it insane that the world just carried on as before. The milkman called and delivered milk, the postman called to deliver mail. My mind kept asking why? Why is everyone just doing what they do everyday? That was incomprehensible to me. Then a visitor everyone dreads called. He was the undertaker. Then it began to sink in that life has to go on no matter what happens, like during the second world war when bombs landed on our town. I was four at the time. My dad and I went to see the damage. A whole road and all the houses on it demolished. People had to go on living even though their hearts were breaking.
Little by little my boy’s death began to be real. I had to ring our relations, granddads and grandma’s, mums and dads and break the terrible news to them. I had to go to work as usual. All the time my heart was breaking and I just wanted to cry and cry. But I couldn’t. I had to be strong even though I was weak. Then a knock came on our door. I opened it to find a stranger standing there, a young woman. ‘We are so sorry, Mr. Perry, that your little boy has died. Everyone in the neighboured send their sympathies and they have collected this money to give you.’
I was astonished. People did not just go on doing what they do. They shared our grief. They wanted to help. It was a great comfort to us that our neighbours cared.
My wife’s dad and mum came to stay with us for a while and that was a great support, too. Our church family shared in our grief and that was comforting. But I must confess to you that the pain remained even though I knew that our child was in God’s heavenly home and that he was safe in the arms of Jesus. As I write these words tears flow from my heart for I loved my boy so much.
ACCEPTANCE
We have to be prepared for sorrow and death because in this life there is no alternative but to accept it. I can tell you now that if you want a peace of mind so that the choice to go on living is possible, you must accept death in whatever form it comes to grieve and disturb you. As Job said, ‘The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.’ (Job 1:21)
The Father gave his Son to die on the cross so that our sins can be forgiven and so that we might go at last to heaven saved by his precious blood. That is the price Jesus paid for being in this world, a world of sin and death. None of his disciples accepted this. How could someone so good and holy be condemned to die a criminals death? Why? Why? Why? Because the world is opposed to goodness and love. That is the true answer. Now I see clearly that death is a transition, as are all deaths, for Jesus died and rose again to give us the gospel, the good news of God’s love that ‘whosoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life.’
The reality of life in this world is like nature, it is Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Things grow, they bloom they get old and they die, but there is always a Spring to look forward too. The life of Jesus is the eternal spring. If we share in his life then we will share also in his spring.
Below are the four faces of life