A Time to Grieve

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1596. Today's Devo is called A Time to Grieve.

Hey there, we're the Alessies, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Hello, everyone. My name is Lauren Burgos, and I am your host for this week. And this week we will be talking about change and changing seasons and what that looks like. And when I was preparing for this week's devotional, I was like, I don't really know what to talk about. And I just kind of prayed about it. Like, okay, what's something I'm personally struggling with? Not even struggling, but just like contemplating in my life. And recently getting married, I think I'm going on like my third month almost being married. It's a massive change. And I am not good with change personally. I have a lot of respect for people who are good with change. And although it's a beautiful time in my life and I love it, and it's been awesome, change overall is pretty difficult. Um I think for all of us it can be pretty difficult. So that's where I thought that we would talk about, yeah, just change overall and what that looks like. The good parts, the high parts, the low parts, all of it. So today's verse is Ecclesiastes 3, 1 through 4. Um, I'm reading out of the NIV version, and it says this there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. And it keeps going, and then a little bit later on it says a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. So I actually highly recommend that you go on your own and read Ecclesiastes, read the whole thing, three um verses one through four, because it lists out all these things. And basically, the author is just saying to every season, there's a time for everything. There's a time in your life that it's appropriate to weep and to grieve. There's a time in your life that it's appropriate to laugh and to be happy. All of that is completely normal. If we're being honest, change can take on different emotions and it can be really great or it can be really, really difficult. And even when it's good, it can be tough because it's like a new job, a new home, a marriage. Parenthood can be like literally you're a new person now, stepping into what it's like being a parent. Or maybe you're just simply going from high school to college. That's a whole new change. Or maybe you're moving out of your parents' house, or you're moving out of, I don't know, one season to another season. Maybe you're going through a breakup. Change is really, really difficult. And every new beginning quietly closes the door on something familiar that we're used to. And we quietly feel guilty for having that sadness and that emotion. And we feel guilty for being like, I'm happy that I'm married and I love this married season, but I feel bad that that I kind of feel bad that I'm experiencing this change. Like it's a difficult change, and then I feel bad that I feel that it's a difficult change. So it's this weirdness of like I should be happy, but it is tough because it is change. And what I love about this Ecclesiastes verse is that it's telling us, like, hey, that's all normal. That part of you as a mom that's like, I should be happy because I have this newborn, but I'm really struggling because I just pushed a baby out of my body, or I cut a baby out of my body, and I look like a different person, and I am a new person now that's a mom, or now I'm a mom of three or four, and I don't know what that's like, and I'm learning this person or version of me, but I feel guilty because I should be happy. Like we feel that weird guilt. And what Ecclesiastes is telling us is like, hey, there's a time for everything. There is a time for grieving, and you're gonna be like, I feel like a different person, and this is hard. But then six months from now, there's gonna be a time where you're gonna be like, hey, I feel great, I feel back to normal. And even in in maybe after a breakup, or like for me, I'm learning what it's like to be a wife, and I'm learning marriage and that change. And and that I told my mom the other day, I was like, marriage is awesome, I love it. It's also the most insecure I have ever felt in my life. Um, and I laugh at it, but it's true all because there's a lot of change taking place. And I just love here that the Bible is not saying, like, well, you just need to be grateful for what God has given you, even though that's true, but it's not shaming us for feeling that way. It's saying like there's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. You're just in a season right now, it's not forever. What you're feeling right now is temporary, it's normal and it's just for a season. If you're feeling like this is just kind of a tough day because I'm still learning this and change is hard, hey, it's a time to weep. Or if you're feeling like life is awesome and I'm just so grateful to God, hey, it's a season of joy and it's a time to laugh. Or if you're feeling like I just lost a family member and this really sucks, and I'm learning this transition, whether it's because you you actually physically lost someone, or whether you're going through a breakup, or whether you're learning what it's like for a daughter or a son to get married or move out of your house and you're learning that transition, it's a time to mourn. So the Bible is just reassuring us that with every activity there's a season, and with every season, there's a time for a different emotion, and that's completely normal. So let's pray because we've got a great week ahead. Dear Lord, we thank you so much that Lord, your word is, yes, sharpening and encouraging us every day, but also, Lord, it's just one that comforts us and that just encourages us and wraps your arms around us and lets us know hey, this is normal, and it's just for a season and it's not forever. And it's okay to struggle with change. Lord, we pray that you give us strength going into this week, God. If it is looking like a tough week for us, God, but Lord, we know that your word comforts us, even besides the tough week ahead. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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