Now There Was a Night

By: Patricia Nordman
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:40:01
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

"Now there was a day ... and Satan also came among them" (Job 1:6 NKJ); "... The day of grief and desperate sorrow ... Then behold, at eventide, trouble!" (Is.17:11c,14 NKJ).

It's no comfort that every person's day finally comes. I felt that my day--my dark night of the soul--came that dusky December evening when our oldest son Chuck came home supposedly to enjoy the Christmas holidays and instead killed himself. He had called from college the night before and seemed happy. The option to die had already been made but he didn't tell us. He simply came home, went to the woods and hours later, in the dark, we heard him scream and then shoot himself to death.

That year I lost three basic relationships within months, and I concluded the evening that Chuck determined to give up this most precious gift of life that God had prepared me for his death through the two previous losses. Lest this sound ghastly and ghoulish, the other two deaths were of older people with heart problems. But they were enormously dear to me and their deaths sent me specifically to the Book of Job. In that respect I felt that God had plowed my soul for the planting of thoughts that would help me through the worst of the three deaths, that of my son.

Two years previous to this BC/AD (Before Chuck/After Death) event in our lives, a teacher who was my spiritual mentor and mother had sent me a book titled Power In Praise, by Merlin Carothers. I read the book and was very impressed and I began praising, even though at times I wondered about it. But it was that momentous night two years later that I applied the principle, "NOW praise and thank [God] for your present circumstances..." I knew that if I didn't do it then, there was a good possibility I might never do it again. May God help us all to utter sincere thanks in the midst of circumstances that would belie the very thought.

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Grief Loss category

  • The Gift - By: Angelique Ellerman
    This article was written to help those who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. Death is just another stage in life, one that can be learned from and help each of us to evolve. Know that you are not alone and it will get better with time.
  • Crisis - How Will You Cope? - By: Tamara Johnson
    Summarizes the grief process after crisis. Outlines the natural grief process that leads to healing.
  • Acknowledging and Supporting the Difficult Life Transitions of Those We Care About - By: Chellie Bonebrake
    From the end of a relationship with a person, house, or job to the diagnosis and treatment of a serious illness, we all encounter struggles in our lives. A hug, a laugh and a supportive message from someone who cares go a long way in providing comfort to a heavy heart. Many people are unable to be with a friend or loved one as they adjust to a difficult situation.
  • For The New Widow - Three Things To Remember - When The Moon In The Sky Hits Like An Axe In The Eye - By: Linda Della Donna
    It’s the end of the day, the end of the week, the end of the month.The cat’s in the cradle and the dog’s in the yard.Or, is it the other way around?
  • If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) - By: Earl Erickson
    A song written by R. Beresford and H. Sanders and sung by country music’s living legend, George Jones , entitled, If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will) , has a much different meaning for me today.
  • Balloons... To Release, Detached And Let Go? - By: K Amber
    The past is over and nothing can be changed. We cannot accept the happening in the past so we tend to cling hard to that experience. We just let our future and present move fearing the past would repeat.
  • Communicating With Deceased Loved Ones - By: Yvonne Perry
    My interest in the Afterlife and spirit communication began in earnest in 2000, when my life literally fell apart. There was an entity that began to manifest to comfort and console me as I was going through my divorce. Whenever I cried, this loving presence touched me in a warm and motherly way.
  • What Does God Have To Say About Death? - By: Jennifer C
    The day we are born, we begin to die. It’s a given fact of life, yet one which we spend much of our lives trying to ignore or defy.The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die ..
  • I Will Never Die! - By: Yvonne Perry
    That is a bold statement, but you see, I no longer believe in death. My body may demise and my spirit may depart from it, but who I am (my essence) will NOT die.Some people view death as a fearful tragedy, the end of a life, a sad finality.
  • Life on the Other Side - By: Yvonne Perry
    If only we knew what was on the Other Side of this life! Knowing for sure what lies ahead might make a difference in how we view dying and aging and how we handle the death of a loved one.Much of our fear about death is rooted in delusions and distorted ways of looking at life and the world around us.