Dealing with Death

Death is something that we all have to face and deal with in our life. It often comes at times that are unexpected and we are rarely at a place where we are ready for it. I think about the families in this terrible tragedy at Fort Hood and what they are having to deal with. How do they make sense of this situation? I was named after my uncle, Steven, who died in a car accident as a teenager. How do you deal with that as a family? I shared with a room full of Mom's in the Alamo Heights Community who are dealing with the death of a Mom in their community. She left behind 3 children. How do they deal with this? I shared three suggestions with these Mom's that I hope are helpful to you:
1) Jesus wept. Jesus needed to weep when dealing with the death of Lazarus and so do we when we lose those that we love. We get so good at acting like we have it together when we just need to cry, weep, sob, and just let our emotions out.
2) God is ever present. At times of death we often push God away in our pain, but it is often the time that we need Him the most. God is a loving God who comforts those who are hurting and need His comforting touch.
3) We need each other. We often push others away as we mourn or avoid comforting those around us because we are uncomfortable. It is at these times more than ever that we need the community of those around us.

As you deal with death or are helping others deal with death may you feel free to weep, may you know that God is ever present, and may you experience community in a way that you never had before.