Norfords' Ramblings

Thursday May 14, 2009

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 12:25.

There are several of our daughter Alex’s In-laws who are going through a period of anxiety and grief. We have mentioned L.’s losing fight with cancer in our last blog and she passed away at 2.30 a.m. yesterday morning. So this is a time for mourning for her parents, her two daughters and a remaining sister and three brothers. It is made harder as one of L.’s daughters has recently had a lump removed from her breast, but the situation is worse than at first diagnosed and it appears that further surgery is probable.

It is difficult to find kind and encouraging words at a time like this; not that the words aren’t there, but they can sound so trite and pat when shared at the wrong time. Grief has to run its course, and in many situations just being there to share in the grief can be a comfort; the offer to pray for God’s comfort is rarely refused in times of distress. And that offer is not just to comfort the grieving ones, because we know that God hears those prayers and responds to our distress, and a sense of his presence will draw the needy one to him.

I know the deep distress felt by Alex, who is firmly part of the family. Others closely associated with them like ourselves, will be praying through this difficult time. For now the kind words are words that share in their sadness. We know that grief washes over like waves, with times of respite in between. It is at those times when grief lifts for a while, words of encouragement and hope will find their place. Please join us to pray for comfort and hope for this deeply hurting family.