Do you resent God for not being there? For not changing things? For not doing what you so hoped He would?
You have permission to grieve. Permission to mourn. Permission to be honest and human. Yes. Permission to not understand. Amen.
One of the things I love best about the story of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus is the realness of those women as they confronted Jesus when He finally showed up and cried out . . . where the heck were you? Yes. And perhaps what I love even more is a God Who revealed Himself through His Son . . . as He wept. Yes. No shaming. No guilt. No “ye of little faith” sermon. Nope. Instead, a God Who would show those two women that He knows they don’t understand. He knows they couldn’t possibly understand, and so He weeps alongside them in it.
You can bring your honest to the God Who knows better than anyone that you are human because, for God’s sake, He created you human.
Permission to bring your whys and your pleads and your begs and your everyday battles and your overwhelming worries and your doubts and your fears and all of your tears . . . to the One Who not only listens but calls you by name and knows the plans He has for you because He wrote them. Amen. Permission to sit with the questions I’ve penned here and the freedom to be fully honest and human without fear of religious persecution. Permission to be human here, friend.
Whether it is something you are currently going through, or you look back on your life and realize that you’ve been mad at God for a really long time because you just can’t understand . . . may you know today that your God weeps alongside you, for your God knows you don’t understand. Yes.
Your purpose is holy, Beloved. It is sacred and set apart. The ground you are standing on is too—ground prepared for you by the God Who goes before you. A God Who remains. A God Who is with you. A God Whose love will never be separated from you despite any resentment or grieving or lack of understanding. Yes. You are loved, Beloved. Forever and all time. And if you remember nothing else, remember that.
{Inspired by the story of Mary and Martha in John 11}
About the Author:
Tera Elness is a writer, speaker, and ’80s girl who loves Jesus with all her heart, mind, and soul. Tera writes daily for her followers on Instagram and Facebook and her first book, “Sitting With Jesus” a 365-Day Devotional just released on April 15th. She and her husband Kent live in Minnesota and have two adult married children, one teen still at home, and one perfect grandson. You can find Tera online at www.teraelness.com.
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