Meditations from Zion

John 16:6
“…Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief…”

It couldn’t have been easy listening to Jesus tell the disciples that he was leaving. If they were grieving, they were also believing… he wasn’t kidding. From their perspective, the most amazing experience of their lives was ending.

They were so disappointed. They were not so savvy (in fact, far from it), to be able to see the big picture or expect it could possibly be better than it had already been with Jesus. Not possible!

Grief is one of the strongest emotions that humans feel. It can be overwhelming. Sometimes, it is so intense that a person becomes numb, removed from life and unable to carry on daily activities. Grief is a reaction to loss. Grief is a reaction to change.

On this occasion, the disciples were feeling “anticipatory grief” which strikes in the face of an anticipated loss or change. Jesus was helping them identify what they were feeling. He was also trying to prepare them for the next phase of their lives as his followers.

God is about change because God is creative. And so is life. When we hold too tightly to what is now, we will find change more difficult. We will dig in our heels and try to slow down the process.

There is nothing inherently wrong with grief. It’s the emotional process of accepting change in our lives. But we cannot remain there or we’ll miss the next stage of our life’s trajectory.

I embrace change and I embrace the feelings that go with it. It’s my personal “creation” story.