They say that God never gives you more than you can handle, well, the simple truth to me is that is not always the case.  God has given some pretty heavy work to others.  Aaron, Moses, Noah and even to His son...but, he has always said to them, I will be there to support and guide you...and, He has never failed to do so.  So, when the load gets heavy, call and ask the Lord God for some guidance and support, and He will be there...he is one constant you can count on.

I really enjoyed this tract - maybe you will too:

APPEARED IN

Will Suffering Ever End?

WHAT THAT CAN MEAN FOR YOU

Assurance that God does not cause our problems.—James 1:13.

Comfort from knowing that God feels for us when we suffer.—Zechariah 2:8.

Hope that all suffering will end.—Psalm 37:9-11.

I lost faith in God.my mom was brutally assaulted in her room,for the next 40 days we kept praying ,begging to GOD.

"God is testing your faith",I was told.And then she just died.....

God was not there when she needed them the most.

God spent all summer building my faith and putting me into situations where I would be doing His work. If my faith would have been the same as before the summer, when we lost my dad, I would have completely turned away from God. I'm trying so hard to hold on to my faith but I am so angry and hurt that I just don't know how to deal with it all. Here we are 6 months post losing dad and I still can't pray without wanting to cuss and scream at God. I know it was His plan but that's honestly the last thing a 21 year old wants to hear after burying her father.

Ashlie, do not worry about what Gods plan is for you or anyone else right now.  That plan is in His hands and will be what it will be without your thought of it right now.  As far as being angry, God understands this so find a safe place and let him know your anger and frustration, He will take it in and then you will be in a better place to receive His peace. It is OK to be angry with God, He knows this...for now, try and focus on this day.  Leave yesterday alone, it is behind you and you are not going there.  Let tomorrow be what it will be, it is not here yet and focus on what God can do for you today, today alone...bless you.

I strongly recommend reading when someone you love dies it really gives you hope and helps you cope with the feelings accompanied with the loss of a loved one, also good for reading is tragedy- loss of a loved one 

I am angry with God. I love Him, but I am so upset with Him. I can't  go to church until I feel differently.

When A Loved One Dies

Please read the on line magazine for practical suggestions.

Brenda

My faith was tested when my only child was killed because of an impaired driver.  But I knew it wasn't God's "fault".  The person who drank made the decision that ultimately took her life.  Now I feel God is the only one I have that I can always go to and always understands.  I also know that she is safe with Him because as 2 Corinthians says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.  And Philippians says to be with Christ is better by far.  I just wish I could go be with her.  My certainty of her well being doesn't make my missing her any better.  It's been close to 6 years and I still feel I haven't taken a full breath.

Dear Patty,

     I am so so sorry that you lost your daughter to the thoughtlessness of another person thinking only of themselves. Still it is good that you are here and able to talk about it.

     Talking can be a helpful release. Following the death of all ten of his children, as well as some other personal tragedies, the ancient patriarch Job said: “My soul certainly feels a loathing toward my life. I will give vent to [Hebrew, “loose”] my concern about myself. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul!” (Job 1:2, 18, 19; 10:1) Job could no longer restrain his concern. He needed to let it loose; he had to “speak.” Similarly, the English dramatist Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth: “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break.”

     Please feel free to email me anytime you want to talk.

Always,

Brenda

mawmaw1591@gmail.com

Brenda, thank you for your kind words.  I do have a few close friends who let me talk when I need to.  One theory I have is that it helps because it feels like someone else is helping to carry the load.  It's such a heavy load to bear.  I talk to God about it a lot.  I certainly don't understand why this had to happen (besides the fact that we live in a fallen world).  I feel like my only child was singled out sometime.  Sometimes I wonder if God thought I was a bad mother (that one doesn't stick around too long because my daughter and I had and still have a close relationship).  Thank you for listening and responding.

Dear Patty,

I think your theory, “One theory I have is that it helps because it feels like someone else is helping to carry the load” is absolutely right on. I have always loved the song:

Lean On Me Lyrics

Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But, if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

You can call on me brother
When you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem
That you'll understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Please, swallow your pride
If I have things
You need to borrow
For no one can fill
Those of your needs
That you won't let show

If there is a load
You have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me, call me
If you need a friend, call me
If you need a friend
If you ever need a friend
Call me
Call me

Call me at 513-442-4527

Dear Patty,

You said, “I talk to God about it a lot.  I certainly don't understand why this had to happen (besides the fact that we live in a fallen world).”

It makes my heart happy that you talk to God about all this and that you know that we live in a “fallen world”. Actually the Bible says, at 1 John 5:19, 20, “We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one. ²⁰ But we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us insight so that we may gain the knowledge of the one who is true. And we are in union with the one who is true, by means of his Son Jesus Christ.” Yes, this world system of things is ruled by “the wicked one” Satan. But, Jesus came to buy us back from sin and death. (John 17:3) “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” We need to study the Bible and pray for understanding.

Why is God permitting wickedness, sickness and death?

How did the world come to be in Satan’s hands?

When and how will God rid this world of Satan?

The Bible at Revelation 21:3 & 4 says there will be no more death. When and how will this happen?

All these questions can be answered by a study of the Bible. Please watch these videos:

Why Study The Bible?

What Happens At A Bible Study?

Does God Have a Name?

Please give me a call at 513-442-4527 and leet me know what you think of the videos.

Brenda

Brenda, I know my Bible pretty well.  My Bible is well worn, highlighted and underlined. When I say why did this have to happen, I know that I will not get an answer to the question this side of heaven but I understand as C.S. Lewis so aptly put it  “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.”  As long as we are in this fallen state we can expect hardships.  I know Jesus as my Savior and that He will come a second time and put all things right.  I know I am justified by grace through faith. I think it's hard for us when we have such a tragic loss to understand why it happened to us and not someone else (a question that simply comes from a despairing heart).  I've always known in my heart of hearts that Caitlin belonged to her heavenly Father.  My angst just comes from the simple fact that I miss her so terribly.  So terribly that sometimes I feel I can't stand it another minute.  But I know I must because I too belong to my Father in heaven.  I thank you for taking so much time to talk to me.  You're are obviously a very caring person.

Thank you, Dennis.  Being reunited with Caitlin is what keeps me going.  Great ecstasy is exactly what it will be.

Mary Wolf, I can't believe that the man at the YMCA said what he did.  Does he stand in God's place?  I can't believe a true Christian with Jesus in his heart could say that.  I am so sorry for your loss. I loss my only child, my daughter.  I feel very alone too.  I have faith in God but am still so very depressed.  I know we will be together after I'm gone from this world but the thought of having to face what could possibly be many years without my daughter is so overwhelming.  But like Job I try to say "Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him."  

Mary Wolf

The Bible does NOT teach the doctrine of eternal torment and hell.

Here is what it says.

• Ac 24:15 And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous
• Joh 5:28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out

• Isa 26:19 “Your dead will live. My corpses will rise up. Awake and shout joyfully, You residents in the dust! For your dew is as the dew of the morning, And the earth will let those powerless in death come to life.

As you can see, the Bible gives us HOPE. When we lose a loved one in death our HOPE is one of LIFE, Reunion, Resurrection.

This can give us comfort. Of course it does not take our pain, loneliness, or loss away, but Comfort is precious and it does give us HOPE. 

Dennis,

Respectfully, Mary is a Catholic.  The Christian Bible does clearly teach a doctrine of hell (“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice  and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned). What you are quoting seems to be the Jehovah's Witness Bible.  There is no reason for Mary to worry about her husband.  Jesus is the Judge.  He is a righteous judge (the only righteous judge since He is God incarnate). That man in the YMCA was just flat out wrong on too many levels to address.  But Mary's husband is in good hands.  According to the Bible (the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke) his soul has conscious awareness in the presence of Christ. 

My faith has not been tested due to the death of my husband. My faith is helping me through the difficult times. It has helped me through the difficult years prior to his death and still helps me now. Without my love relationship with the Lord I would be lost and alone. Truly alone. I'm thankful that is not the case.

He is always with me, comforting me and letting me know he is near. I love him so much. Today at Mass when I received Jesus at communion I suddenly broke out in tears of joy. I didn't choose to cry, it just happened. I kept it to myself but it was so profoundly joyful!! To receive my Lord, body, blood, soul and divinity!! I was overwhelmed with joy. I can't imagine going through life without this wonderful support. Of course God supports different people in different ways. This just happens to be one of the ways he supports me. When I wake in the morning, he is there. His presence is so comforting, so all consuming. I just move around a little in it while still in bed and it feels like I'm in a plush cloud of pure comfort in his arms somehow. He's smiling and so am I. I really can't explain it well. I offer up my day and all I will do to him. That I will do whatever he wills and tell him how I love him and want to do his will, his way. To love his people as he loves me. I keep in touch with him as much as I can throughout the day. The closeness is very good for me and pleasing to him.

I don't presume to know better than God or blame him for my husband's illness or how he abused me in his illness. We live in a fallen world and there's much illness and evil in this world. I know that God's ways are far above my understanding and that he will work all things to the good for those who love him and do his will. So there is a plan for a good future for me, for hope, but I don't know what that is yet. I must wait it out and see what God has in mind for me. And after this life I have eternity to enjoy unfathomable joys that I can't begin to imagine! And I have a good imagination! God knows we need hope and he sees to it that we have it. My hope is in him. And I'm enjoying his gift of joy each day as I recover, or rather, learn to adjust to life without my husband.

In the interest of not being misunderstood, I'm adding to my last post.

I am not trying to say I am special in any way. We are all loved by God as much as the next person. Any gifts God has given to me are available to anyone else should they choose to love the Lord and respond to his invitation to a closer relationship with him. He doesn't play favorites. By telling of some of the positive things God has brought into my life, I am showing to other people what they can have also, should they want them. I don't want anyone to miss the joy God has planned for them because I didn't speak up. I wouldn't have known how deeply I could have a relationship with the Lord if other people hadn't gone before me and wrote or talked about their experiences. Some of their writings are very old, centuries old, but valid nonetheless. Some are present day experiences. I am grateful to have the benefit of knowing about these experiences and to have grown in my faith and been free to practice my faith and pursue the wealth of knowledge available to me in my church. I wish only the best for everyone. Blessings, Sue

Hi Mary! So glad to find you who understand what I wrote about! Yes, we have grief and miss our loved ones, but we also have the good things that God gives us. How sad that your guest wasn't open to the experience of the service you brought her to. A closed mind can't receive anything. At least you know you "brought the horse to water" even though the "horse refused to drink". That plus prayer are all you can do for her.

I'm starting a Hospice series of group counseling meetings soon and I hope I don't regret going there instead of going to Griefshare at a church. I'll leave if they expect me to not mention God because I can't separate the 2 of us. We are one. It will be the same with this site. 

I had a couple of really scary dreams start up after my husband's death and the Lord took them away very quickly. A very frightening experience, and it gave me sympathy for other people who have PTSD and psychological problems and so forth that would cause them to experience this kind of dream or reality. I believe I have a small amount of PTSD after the hell my husband put me through with his abrupt mood swings and verbal and emotional abuse and sabotage and manipulation. I don't know how someone with this kind of problem copes because it was truly awful. Just one example of a blessing from the Lord that has helped me get through a rough time.

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the peace of Christ during this difficult time in your life. I pray that he will bless you greatly and meet your every need in the days and months to come. 

Blessings,  Sue

Interesting Post from a Bereaved Parent on Mother Mary:

I have a favorite prayer card of the Blessed Mother, it features a painting by Johann Schmittdner, it is called “Mary Undoer of Knots.” For all their beauty, many depictions of the Blessed Mother present a woman I can’t relate to. No critique of the artists, art is subjective, it either speaks to our heart or it does not. I know what I like about the Schmittdner painting, the warm colors, and our Lady is painted as a woman of substance, with curves and real hips. Her hair is dark and thick, pulled back from her face, and she is intent on her work. There is an earthiness to this woman, she looks like she could have carried water from wells, helped Joseph when he needed an extra hand to hold a piece of wood, sweet featured, a woman of strength. I like William-Adolphe Bouguereau also, my favorite is his “Pieta,” I get lost in her eyes. Those are the eyes of a bereaved mother, of a heart so broken it will never mend. Look at how red her eyes are, the tears that track down her face, her swollen eyelids. I read that Bouguereau suffered the death of three of his five children and the death of his young wife. I cannot help but think that the pain engraved on his wife’s face imprinted upon his heart, and from that place of pain he painted. Compare the innocence and unlined beauty of his paintings of the Blessed Mother holding her infant son, then with the “Pieta”, she has intimate knowledge now of death and suffering.

Full Blog Post can be found  here:

http://www.backofthenorthwind.com/did-she-smile-mary-undoer-of-knots/

Lost my husband of 41 years last september.   Interesting that the Lord kept pointing me to Isaiah 54:4-6 ("Your Hustand is your Maker")  (at least ten times) a few months before Joe went to be with Jesus.    Doesn't make it any easier, but I can remind Jesus that He promised to be my Husband.....I can depend on Him to provide everything I need. It helps me with the pain and loneliness I experience.   Soft music helps me also.  I have some worship tapes I listen to.

I like Elynn m's mentioning of the passage in Isaiah that reminds us that our Husband is our Maker. Thank you, Elynn. I know I can depend on God for everything that he wants me to have. He has greatly blessed me in so many ways, I can never thank him enough. He is my strength in my weakness.

I lost my husband of 42 years in March and I am having some loneliness today. Even though I am never alone because God is always with me, I can still be lonely for a human voice or presence. And sometimes a girlfriend kind of presence.

I'm waiting on the Lord for a special friend to enter into my life. I have good, strong family relationships and friendly acquaintances, but I haven't had time for years to develop a special friendship with someone who's available when I am. Someone who has similar interests, who puts God 1st in her life and with whom we just do well together as friends. 

In the meantime I will continue to enjoy all the wonderful people God has placed in my life for now and keep my eyes and my heart and my mind open for a special friend to appear. It just may be someone I already know, but haven't spent enough time with. I'll let the Lord lead me on this.

Below we find 8 different Bible accounts that are about someone who had died.

They were resurrected back to life and reunited with their loved ones

What a WONDERFUL thing that God did in having these experiences recorded in the Bible so that we can be encouraged, comforted and strengthened.

What a wonderful HOPE we have for the future in that we to will be reunited with our loved ones.

1Kings 17:17-24;

2Kings 4:32-37;

2Kings 13:20, 21

John 11:11, 14-44:

Mark 5:35-42:

Luke 7:11-17

Ac 9:39-42

Ac 20:7-12

Thank you, Dennis C. for noting the passages for us. I have no doubt that I will see my loved ones again in heaven. I look forward to seeing those I haven't seen in so very long; and to seeing my husband as he truly is, without the dementia and cancer that changed him so much for the last 8 years of his life.

I waiver right now with my faith, but I did run across a great verse: THE GOOD MEN PERISH;THE GODLY DIE BEFORE THEIR TIME AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE OR WONDER WHY. NO ONE SEEMS TO REALIZE THAT GOD IS TAKING THEM AWAY FROM EVIL DAYS AHEAD (ISAIAH 57:1)

I have the same problem. I prayed every night in the hospital together with my husband that God would spare him. My husband was a good man and still had much to give to this world. My faith has been shaken and I am now very skeptical of anything beyond what is here now. The only thing I can suggest is that we keep on praying and find ways of believing there is an afterlife and that our loved ones can see and hear us......I do this in spite of my own doubts and feel that there is much more than we know and understand...

The question is which of these two answers do we believe? They seem quite opposite.Although obviously biased, I cannot think of any one who was a better man in life than my husband. He was loved by everyone he knew for his humanity and good heart... as someone said after he had died " he has shown us what goodness in a man looks like". It is hard to understand why God would not have wanted him to stay a while...

I still believe that God exists and I also believe in heaven and hell. I was raised Pentecostal. I use to believe that if I had unwavering Faith God would answer my prayer most especially if it were a life or death situation. I believed if God saw how hard my husband tried to turn his life around and was suffering, that he would show him mercy and use his illness as a teaching moment but give him another chance. I believed that in my heart for the five weeks my husband fought to live while on life support. I believed in that even when the shock trauma doctors said he wouldn't a make it and was slowly declining. I love God , but I no longer believe he will always help if you have faith . I know that's not true because my husband died and 2 and half months later my dad died . Each time I begged him to spare there lives and when my dad died just after loosing my love , it felt like a slap in the face and like God just didn't care about them , me , or my children. I hate to feel that way but God knows are hearts and weather it came out of my mouth he knows it's the way I feel. I feel like what's left of my life and my kids will just be struggle. At least they are very young do they have a future. But one without father and the only grandfather they had. I look ahead to the future and I see nothing but a black empty whole . I am not at peace with it being that it was just there time and God called them home. When God took my husband he took my future away ,happiness away. I don't understand why . The worst thing is that death is permanent. If I am lucky , hopefully we will be together in the next life but then I have heard conflicting information on that. Some say we won't be husband and wife , we will be like brother and sister and love each other all the same . To me that is gut wrenching and it's like a second death .

i no thes aftr lif i no thngs hapen for a reson still dnt stopp it frm hirtin i no we can get mad at god 

http://vimeo.com/100543154?

Sometimes God takes our loved ones away, to heal them.   Angela, I can't imagine losing two of the people I love within such a short time.   God must know that you are a very strong person .   I lost both my son and husband,  but our son passed in 2009 and Joe passed away in 2015.   As ruthie mentioned, Isaiah 57:1 was a comfort to me.   ("The rigneous man is ta Ken away from evil")   another scripture that helped when our son passed away is psalm 116:15.  "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones..".    

"

I lost my father January 14 2017. How terrible death is…  No wonder the Bible calls death an enemy. Yet, we are not left in complete despair …  God promises that death will we done away with forever - (1 Corinthians 15:26) ²⁶ And the last enemy, death, is to be brought to nothing.” The following helps me, hope you will find comfort too.

The Bible’s answer to “Why Do People Die”

It’s natural to wonder why people die, especially when we lose someone close to us. The Bible says: “The sting producing death is sin.”—1 Corinthians 15:56.

Why do all people sin and die?

The first humans, Adam and Eve, lost their lives because they sinned against God. (Genesis 3:17-19) Death was the only possible outcome of their rebellion against God, for with him is “the source of life.”—Psalm 36:9; Genesis 2:17.

Adam passed on the defect of sin to all his descendants. The Bible says: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) All people die because they all sin.—Romans 3:23.

How death will be eliminated

God promises a time when “he will actually swallow up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:8) To remove death, he must eliminate its root cause, which is sin. God will do this through Jesus Christ, who “takes away the sin of the world.”—John 1:29; 1 John 1:7.

Brenda Ann

What a beautiful explanation of the Bibles teaching.

The REAL hope that we get from reading the Bible is what gives me comfort. We have had a lot of loss lately. I had a dear friend that went into the hospital for emergency surgery to remove his gall bladder. He ended up dying from septic shock. I gave the funeral discourse which was very emotional.

I volunteer at the Cleveland Clinic, visiting the very sick. I met a young man who at 35 had been struggling with Leukemia. I got to know him well and we had some very nice visits. He and his wife were very faithful people. Fulltime ministers. He died from his disease. What a painful loss.

To me...I could never understand why people believe that God is responsible for all of this. The Bible clearly tells us that there is an enemy of God that is ruling over the world right now. That spirit rebelled against God and Adam and Eve joined that rebellion....cursing us to sin and death. THAT IS WHY WE DIE. 

I take so much comfort in the promises of the Bible.

Revelation 21:4  No More Death or Suffering or Pain

This is what God will do.

BrendaAnn,  thank you for sharing the scriptures with us.   They are very comforting.  

After losing my job in June, my brother in July and best friend in August, my faith is surely tested. I have PTSD from dysfunctional upbringing and early losses (brother died at 10 after living with cancer since he was 2 yrs old).  Mom died 5 years ago and I have no family left save a father who lives out of state and who I am not at all close to. Feel like God is punishing me and has taken away family and sense of security and belonging. Isolated, alone and in despair. Is He a bully or is he trying to teach me something? Or both? And I HATE feeling like such a victim... Pls help?

You are not alone in feeling like this... Let me, however, asure you that God would never cause your suffering. I sent you a scripture in my friend request found at Isaiah 41:10. It says, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’" This scripture is so encouraging to me because God expresses how he feels toward us individually. (1 John 4:8) . . .God is love. . . (Luke 1:77-79) "to give knowledge of salvation to his people by forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender compassion of our God... to give light to those sitting in darkness and death’s shadow and to guide our feet in the way of peace."

I know that this may sound very confusing and you have been emotionally bullied but not by God. Please watch the following two videos they will help you understand who the "REAL bully" is:

Why Study the Bible
Why Did Jesus Die?

The bully is Satan. (1 John 5:19) "We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." The Bible also says, :(John 8:44) 'Satan' was a murderer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie."

Please watch these two videos:

Why Did God Create the Earth?
What Is God’s Kingdom?

How will God's Kingdom(government) benefit you? You you like to know? please email me at mawmaw1591@gmail.com

Hope to hear from you soon and hope this helps, at least a little...

Brenda

Just a few thoughts regarding faith; Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 says “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

That doesn't mean that we shouldn't grieve, because it is necessary 

God has a purpose for everything. Jesus is our best role model for combining faith and grief, as revealed in John 11:1-45. When He saw Mary and Martha in anguish over the death of their brother Lazarus, He wept and groaned. Although Jesus knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, He still allowed Himself to feel – and express – the depths of human sorrow. We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has experienced all of our pain, including loss, rejection, betrayal, and dying. As our Savior and Redeemer, He took all our sins to the cross and forgives us when we ask. As our Good Shepherd, He leads us safely through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4b). Remember, a shadow indicates that there is a light on the other side! Deep faith in Christ does not prevent grief when a believer dies, but it infuses grief with hope! For Christians, death is a passageway to eternal life (see John 5:24). Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21b). He also said, “I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died” (1 Thessalonians 4:13b-14, NLT).

I do agree, Trials do not come from God.  That does not mean we won't have trials.

I agree with James 1:13 and 1corinthians :10:13

Jesus helps me adjust my views.  As most of us know, when I am weak, then He is strong (2corinthians 12:9-11)