Why You Need to Share Your Grief with Others

When facing trials, your emotional health needs to be a top priority. Feelings are neither good nor bad—they’re just emotions. But they need to be expressed appropriately to God and to a trusted friend. The Bible says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NIV).

You don’t have to share your feelings with everybody, but you do need to have one person you can confide in. Someone you can go to and say, “Hey, can I just tell you how I’m really feeling right now?” This is someone who will listen, share in your pain and frustration, and then help you move forward.

Paul gives a great example of sharing feelings instead of stuffing them in. He writes, “My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain” (2 Corinthians 1:8 CEV).

If Paul, the greatest Christian who ever lived other than Jesus Christ himself, could be gut-level honest about what he was going through, then we can, too.

Sharing your problems includes sharing your frustrations, fears, and feelings. We are living in unprecedented times, and everyone has felt the stress of the pandemic. Many of us have also experienced losses and missed opportunities due to the upheaval in the world. You may have missed a graduation, the funeral of a loved one, a wedding, or the birth of a grandchild.

You need to grieve those losses—and not just in private. Grief is a good, healthy thing. It’s how we transition. Sharing your grief with others keeps you from isolation and loneliness and will remind you of God’s provision.

God created us to need each other! He designed us to share our feelings with others. But he also wants us to share our feelings with him: “The LORD is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope. The LORD’s people may suffer a lot, but he will always bring them safely through” (Psalm 34:18-19 CEV).

Sharing your feelings with others may not come naturally to you. But it is the only way to be emotionally healthy. Find that person you trust to help you process what you’re experiencing, and then be that friend to someone else.

Galatians 6:2 | Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.

The Racism Antidote: Love Like Jesus Does

Racism begins with a lack of love. You can’t love someone like Jesus does and harbor prejudice in your heart toward that person. It’s impossible. We must love everybody the way Jesus loves them.

Jesus gets very specific about this in John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (NIV). How does Jesus love us? Unconditionally, freely, completely, and continually. So how should you love other people—even those of other races? Unconditionally, freely, completely, and continually.

Love doesn’t mean we approve of everything someone else does. Jesus doesn’t approve of everything we do, but he still loves us.

The Bible says, “As believers in our Lord Jesus . . . you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance” (James 2:1 GNB). Although a person may look to be homeless, you should treat that person as you would a CEO.

Love is very practical. A couple that has been in my small group has seven kids, four biological and three by adoption from Rwanda. Knowing the three kids from Rwanda would likely have experienced racism, I asked them recently how they believe Christians should deal with race. They responded with very practical ways to love people of other races.

1.  Don’t be colorblind. They like their color, so you don’t have to ignore it. Just don’t make decisions about them based upon their race.

2.  Don’t tell people who’ve been treated unjustly that you understand. You don’t. Nobody knows the injustices others have faced. To say you do is simply being dismissive.

3.  Remember that your history is not the same as their history. Someone born in inner-city Chicago and a person born on a ranch in Gallup, New Mexico, have different histories. And history matters.

4.  Don’t ignore history or say, “Get over it.” Pain matters. These three kids with whom I was talking were orphaned because their parents were killed in a genocide.  We can’t possibly understand their pain.

5.  Fight all stereotypes. Everybody in the world feels stereotyped. But stereotypes are never true. Let’s commit to seeing each and every person as an individual, not someone stereotyped because of their skin color, creed, or nationality.

Together, when we love like Jesus does, we can eradicate racism.

Are you ready to start?

James 2:1 | My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.

God Hates Prejudice, and We Should, Too

Our nation is desperate for healing on the issue of race. The Body of Christ has to talk about it, even though it’s uncomfortable. The church can’t be silent.

We can’t ignore racism because, quite simply, God hates it. If God hates racial prejudice, then we should, too.

Why does God hate racial prejudice?

Racial prejudice questions God’s creation.

God could have made us all the same. We could have all looked alike, but God didn’t do that. He loves variety!

Racial prejudice is a sign of ignorance.

When we demonstrate prejudice, we show the world we don’t know what we’re talking about. We’re revealing our foolishness.

The Bible says, “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them” (1 John 2:11 NIV).

The Bible says if I hate someone just because that person is different, I’m in the dark—and blind. That’s a pretty serious accusation from God.

Racial prejudice disobeys the Great Commandment.

Paul says, “The entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:14-15 NIV).

If you display a racist attitude, you’re disobeying the plain truth of this Scripture. We can’t make judgments about another person based on outward appearance and truly love him or her as a brother or sister.

Racial prejudice is a serious sin.

Prejudice makes God mad. The Bible says, “If you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker” (James 2:9 GNT).

Racism is a problem of sin, not skin. One day we’ll give an account for that sin before God.

The important thing to remember as we search our hearts for prejudice and bigotry is this: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV). We will only eliminate prejudice as each one of our hearts is transformed by the love of God. He is willing and able to change us.

Talk It Over

• • If God hates prejudice, why has this been such a difficult sin for the Church to deal with throughout the years? How can we overcome that?
  • Of the four reasons why God hates prejudice mentioned above, which is the most significant to you? Why?
  • Ask God to reveal any prejudice in your life. Once he does, confess it as sin, and ask Jesus to heal your brokenness and to lead you toward racial reconciliation.

2 Chronicles 19:7 | Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.

Real Faith is More Than What You Feel

Many people in the United States have recently lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Some of them need food. Some are wondering how they’ll pay their rent or mortgage. And they need to know that they’re not forgotten, that they can count on others for support.

It’s not enough to just tell them how sorry we are for their circumstances—or send out a tweet with a pious cliché.

Empathy isn’t enough. They need real help.

James says real faith is more than well wishes. Imagine if you walked up to someone in a food line and said, “Hey, I feel for you. Hang in there. Cheer up. Don’t worry, be happy.” Doesn’t that ring hollow in such desperate circumstances? They don’t just need your words; they need food.

Genuine faith is practical. It gets involved in people’s needs.

Jesus demonstrated this kind of faith. He didn’t just empathize with our pain and predicament. He came to earth to do something about the sin that separated us from God.

1 John 3:17 says, “Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God’s love is not living in that person” (NCV).

Your response to the pain people in your community are experiencing will show the world what you believe. For instance, at Saddleback Church, we’ve launched drive-thru food pantries. With just one of our food pantries, we were able to feed 840 families in a single day. Your church may already be doing something similar, but imagine what would happen if every congregation did this right now.

Genuine faith produces compassion. It says, “I will help you with your burden and show you the love of Christ.” Our faith is seen by what we do.

Talk It Over

• • Are you in need right now? Reach out to your local church and share what support you need right now.

• • What are some practical ways (or additional ways) you, your small group, or your church can help hurting people?

• • Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are struggling with anxiety, depression, and grief. Substance abuse is another common problem. What are ways you, your small group, or congregation can offer emotional support or mental health resources to those in need?
  • What are some ways you can help people get back on their feet? How can you identify potential employers within your congregation, or the community, who have jobs available?

James 2:15-17 | Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.

The Best Way to Start and Finish Your Day

During days of uncertainty and unrest, it’s important to start and end your day by refueling your soul—the part of you that determines the way you think, feel, and choose. Just like your physical body has to be fed every day to stay healthy, so does your soul. If you’re not feeding your soul, you’re going to be drained emotionally and spiritually.

So how do you refuel your soul? By getting into God’s Word every day. Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). The Bible is life! You don’t just read it when you have a problem and need some advice. You don’t open it up only when you need a pick-me-up. You feed on it every day so that you are consistently nourished and growing in truth and love.

Don’t begin your day by scrolling through your phone or listening to the news. And don’t end your day by filling your mind with something on TV. None of those things are going to feed your soul.

If you only develop one new habit this year, let it be starting and ending your day in God’s Word. Wherever you leave your Bible, leave it open if you can. If the Bible is closed, you will have a tendency to overlook it. But if you leave it open to where you read last time, you’ll have an easier time remembering to be consistent in Bible reading.

It doesn’t matter how long you read. It matters how you let God’s Word change you—how you see yourself and others in light of God’s love, how you view your circumstances, and how your relationship with God deepens and grows.

“The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will” (Isaiah 50:4 NLT).

Are you weary and worn down? Nourish your soul and stay emotionally healthy by starting and ending each day with the Word of God.

Talk It Over

• • What are your spiritual goals for this year? How do you want to grow in your Christian walk during crisis seasons?
  • How do you need to adjust your schedule so that you make time for Bible study and also take care of your physical health?
  • This year, have you been changed more by the world or God’s Word?

Matthew 4:4 | Jesus answered, “It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Devotional from YouVersion Bible App. Contact Pastor Rod Lindemann at RodL@TimothyLutheran.com on how to use the Bible App for additional readings and topics.