Wednesday Woe - Ye Know Not of What Ye Speak! ~ Modern-Day Christianity, or er... Churchianity?

Wednesday Woe

Ye Know Not of What Ye Speak! ~

Modern-Day Christianity, or er... Churchianity?

"We also were alienated by the triumphalism of the church -- you describe something similiar on your blog. It's the sort of thing where certain Christians think they're favored in some way by God -- e.g. I prayed for a parking space and lo and behold one appeared! Meanwhile, you have prayed for years for the safety and well being of your child and look what happened! (Guess I must not be one of the "favorites" of God.) I couldn't take it."

~Columbine Grieving Mother, Linda Mauser

Tonight I address the "Peachy Keen" Christians who evidently have not experienced anything as horrific as child loss, and who are alarmed and appalled when we, like Job, cry out our angst and agony... If I remember correctly, I don't think Job's so-called friends/"comforters" were very helpful to him either...

Beware onlookers: Our audience is Child-Loss Grievers. You may not feel welcome here, because our lives are not all "Peachy Keen." Sorry, that's just the way it is. Death is here, and we must walk through its Valley of the Shadow. It is not easy, and in the safety of one another's presence, we may voice it. If it hurts your ears, you are welcome to move on. But we will not mince words. Our God wants our honest cries, not our "churchified" white-washing of everything evil that might come our way. And He meets us right where we are. He doesn't take away our grief ~ He meets us right there in it. His presence comforts us.

Indeed, He even proclaims, "Blessed are those who mourn..."

*****

This week, I noticed a naive little "onlooker" had stopped by my blog, and left comments to protest that there IS an afterlife, and there IS hope, and that she cannot even believe I can call myself a Christian counselor. She doesn't leave her real name, simply signs off as "Hopeful":

"WOW! Where's the hope that only God provides? You cannot do this alone or on your own!"

3/25/11 2:54 am

"There is closure and new life this side of heaven!"

3/25/11 2:55 am

"Shame you xall (sic) yourself a Christian counselor."

3/25/11 2:55 am

~"Hopeful"

*****

Life --or Death-- may not always be as neat and tidy as others would like to think it is. And even we counselors, yes even we Christian counselors, are smacked with devastation when the victim of death is our own child.

We are human, and we hurt.

We suffer, and we protest.

We mourn. We cry.

And it is not always pretty, and it is not always hopeful.

But it is authentic living amidst the loss of one so very loved, and cherished, and so much a part of our heart, and life, and world.

And now...she is not here...

*****

The following scripture from devotional sent out to me yesterday was there to greet me as I checked my emails today. How timely!

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."

~2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV

Wonderful dog-baring-teeth picture found on Rachelle Gardner's blog post on Monday, April 4, 2011:

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/04/getting-our-hopes-up.html