I was a huge Charlie Brown fan growing up and he didn’t always have the best luck so his character coined the phrase, “Good Grief.” For him, this simple statement took on the meaning of how things just never seemed to go right for him. He was in a state of grief and often in a funk from the perils of life. Not too many things worked out the way Chuck planned, but in the end, they worked in his favor.
Though Charlies is just a cartoon character, his life at times seemed to parallel my own. There have been many situations in my life where things have not gone the way I have planned and I found myself in state of grief.
Grief is a part of life. From the loss of a loved one, a broken heart, and even financial hardships, grief can set in and it is never looked at or considered to be something good.
In fact, Charlie Brown was using an oxymoron where good and grief were contradictory. I failed to see the good in my grief. I couldn’t see past the tears of my grief from the pain of losing my loved ones or having my heart ripped out from bad relationships. Where was the good in my grief from struggling to make ends meet and to supply for me and my kids when I was going through my divorce? When I have been rejected and turned down, my grief overcame me and I could not comprehend the good in that. What makes my grief good?
Through Scripture, I have learned the very answer to my question. Grief is the pathway to my joy. Psalm 30:5 tells us, “…His favor is for life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”(NKJV) There is joy on the other side of my grief. When I did not think things were working in my favor and I became upset and full of grief, God showed up and showed out by allowing everything that I had been through to work for my good. I am now experiencing joy.
The goodness in grief is that joy follows our grieving season. I get joy when I think about the fact that my mother is no longer here on this earth in pain, but she is resting peacefully in her heavenly home. I get joy when I realize that God saved me from an abusive marriage and I am living to tell my story and speak of his goodness. I get joy because now I can give from abundance instead of out of lack. My grief was good because it has gotten me to a place of joy, so good grief to us all. Appreciate your season of grief and anticipate your season of joy and favor.
Deborah Woolard is a single mother of three from Raleigh, NC and she currently resides in Charlotte, NC. She is an ordained & licensed minister and she serves as the Youth Director at R5 Church. Her love for writing, especially poetry is one of the many ways God allows her to use her gifts for His glory. Her poetry can be viewed at https://m.facebook.com/gracefullydsignedbydeborah/.