Encouragement to those who have lost a loved one ... (Compiled)

In times like these, it's hard to find
The words that will provide
the kind of comfort you deserve
to help your pain subside.

In times like these, how can I show
the depth of my own grief...
to know your heart is broken now
and longing for reprieve?

If I could take away your grief
and change the hand of fate
I'd do it quickly just for you
but God has His own way.

In life we find such sorrow
but in heaven there is rest
loved ones go when they are called
(and God has called the best)

Our human hearts can't comprehend
what waits beyond the door...
but as we wait, I'll pray for you
while on this earthly shore.

May these few words bring comfort
to your brokenness and pain...
That in the midst and stormy skies,
the sun will shine again !

" Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight."

" Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy."

" Grief is not meant to be avoided or feared; it is meant to be worked through."

" For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity."

" He heals the brokenhearted, and binds their wounds." (Psalm 147:3 NASB)

" Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you: He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." (Psalm 55:22 NASB)

" Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV)

" The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you." (2 Chronicles 15:2 NIV)

" The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks Him."

 (Lamentations 3:25 NIV)

 We feel so sad when those we love
Are called to live in the home above,
But why should we grieve when they say good-bye
And go to dwell in the cloudless sky?

For they have but gone to prepare the way,
And we'll meet them again some happy day,
For God has told us that nothing can sever
A life He created to live forever.

So let God's promise soften our sorrow
And give us new strength for a brighter tomorrow..."

" THE BROKEN CHAIN "

(A poem...)  
We little knew that morning
that God was going
to call your name.
In Life we loved you dearly
In death we do the same.

It broke our hearts to lose you,
you did not go alone;
for part of us went with you,
the day God called you home.

You left us peaceful memories,
your love is still our guide,
and though we cannot see you,
you are always at our side.

Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same,
but as God calls us one by one,
the chain will link again !

" The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18) " Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

" Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15)
" Tears are permitted to us, but they must glisten in the light of faith and hope." ( C.H. Spurgeon )
" In Heaven, we will see that nothing, absolutely nothing, was wasted, and that every tear counted and every cry was heard." ( Joni Eareckson Tada )
" Our valleys may be filled with foes and tears, but we can lift our eyes to the hills to see God and the angels." ( Billy Graham)

" No one is immune from the fact of grief. Grief is woven throughout the tapestry of life." ( Zig Ziglar)

" Don't be afraid to ask your Heavenly Father for anything you need. Indeed, nothing is too small for God's attention or too great for His power." " TEARS ARE PRAYERS, TOO " (Something to think about...)

Are we afraid the tears won't stop falling down like rain? That we might drown as we fight our fears. God bottles every tear that we cry. Think about it. We have cried oceans and rivers of tears of grief and sorrow as well as tears of happiness and joy since time began. Tears that travel to God even when we can't speak. These tears are prayers to God on the deepest level.

It is a known fact that in Bible lands and other middle eastern countries there was a tradition that when someone died, tears of those present were collected and placed in a bottle. This bottle was considered sacred for it represented all the sorrow of the family and was buried with the deceased. Many of these bottles have been found in ancient tombs. In ancient Rome, mourners filled small glass vials or cups with tears and placed them in burial tombs as symbols of love and respect. Sometimes people were even paid to cry into cups, as they walked along the mourning procession.

Those crying the loudest and producing the most tears received the most compensation. The more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. In some war stories, women were said to have cried into tear bottles and saved them until their husbands returned. Their collected tears would show the men how much they were loved and missed.

God collects them to let us know he cares and takes notice of us not only when we cry tears of sorrow, pain, anguish, repentance, confession, and joy but in everything we do and say. God notices all our wanderings in this short earthly pilgrimage of ours. He loves us so much and is ever touched by our burdens, our anguish of heart, and feelings of infirmities.

If you notice that these tears are recorded in a book. The book is God's book of remembrance. Every word of tender pity, every act of sacrifice, every suffering, and sorrow for Christ's sake is faithfully recorded.
It amazing how one so powerful can love one so lowly as to know every tear that has fallen. He catches it one by one in his hands. To bottle them up for a time that is to come.

So remember that your tears do not fall in vain. There is one who holds each one in a bottle and write's it down in his book of remembrance. And I feel like that as he does this he feels our pain, too. He felt the pain of those mourning for Lazarus and the Bible says,"Jesus wept". (John 11:35) How profound are those words that as we weep that our God weeps with us. Now that is Love !
" You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book." ( Psalm 56:8 NLT)
" PRAYER "

ALMIGHTY GOD, we rejoice to know
that your reign extends far beyond the limits of this life.
In the mystery of what lies beyond our sight
we pray that your love may complete its work
in those whose days on earth are done;
and grant that we who serve you now in this world
may at last share with them
the glories of your heavenly kingdom;
through the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen !  " LOOKING AT THE HEAVENS " (Something to think about...)

I am finding myself looking at the heavens a lot more these days. I am trying to watch and enjoy as many sunrises and sunsets as I can, and I am letting their beauty fill my soul with happiness. I love seeing God paint the heavens with glorious reds, purples, pinks, oranges, and golds. I love gazing with wonder at these ever-changing masterpieces.

Every sunrise feels like God is welcoming us to a new day full of wonder and delight. Every sunset feels like God is kissing us goodnight and wishing us sweet dreams. Every time I look at them too I feel God’s peace and joy, and I know that I am loved by the greatest love imaginable.

Looking at the heavens helps me to feel the Heaven inside myself too. When I gaze at the sky and witness God’s glorious creation I want to thank God for my own life and all the wonderful blessings in it. When I stare at those beautiful sunrises and sunsets I happily remember that I am here to live a beautiful life full of peace and love myself. When I look at those bright heavens each day of my life I want to share the Heaven in my own soul as well.

Every day the sun rises again in the morning sky. It’s welcoming beauty and light is always there even if it is sometimes hidden by the clouds. Every evening the sun sets in the night sky but not without a promise of even more beauty and light the next day. Take some time today to look up at the heavens then. Take some time today to find the Heaven within yourself. Take some time today to make your own life a Heavenly light full of love, joy, peace, happiness, goodness, and delight.

Take some time today to share that light with the world and show others that they can do the same. Take some time today to remember that God loves you and wants you to live a life as joyful as the sunrise and as beautiful as the setting sun...
" When all else is gone, God is still left. Nothing changes Him."

" " GRANDMA' S HANDS "

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she said in a clear strong voice.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK," I explained to her.
"Have you ever looked at your hands," she asked. "I mean really looked at your hands?"

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story: "Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

"They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

"They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special. They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

"They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

"They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

"These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ."

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.
When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face. Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it
sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us
when nothing else can. It gives us reason to continue and
courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we'd rather give in.
Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.
Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes can not see it.
Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.
Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and
nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it
can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the
darkest of places.

Never lose HOPE !

Never lose FAITH !! COMPILED