40acts: The Lent Generosity ChallengeSample

We don’t always find reasons for the hard things we go through – we can’t see the bigger picture like God can, and we may not be able to give answers to our friends facing grief and suffering. But we don’t have to, because what is often most needed is comfort and companionship. In Psalm 56:8 it says God keeps a record of our sorrows and collects our tears – sometimes the greatest thing we can offer a friend is a shoulder to cry on.

In 2017, I lost my dad pretty suddenly. He passed away after a really short illness and it knocked me for six. That season of my life made me realise that it’s quite easy to have faith when things are going amazingly in your life, but it’s a lot more difficult when we find ourselves in situations that we can’t control.

Romans 8:28 was a verse I heard a lot when I was growing up: all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. I failed to believe that verse during my time of grief but, once again, the Bible proved me wrong. 

A year after the passing of my father, I decided to write music about my journey with grief and how I was learning to trust God through it. To this very day I get messages from people all over the world who’ve expressed that my being open about my experiences has really helped them deal with their own grief. God used my pain for his purpose and to help others. 

In John 10:10, Jesus promises to give us life to the full. I used to interpret this as an amazing life full of highs, but now I view that verse differently. I think life to the full sometimes means the fullness of joy, and other times it’s the fullness of sadness. But know that in any of those times, all things will work together for our good. 

_______

The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is a strange place. But it’s where lots of us live our lives – caught between mourning and moving on, between pain and joy. If you look, you’ll find many around you in a place like that. How can you help people encounter generosity in places of deep pain?

 Find more about today’s 40acts challenge on our blog:   

https://40acts.org.uk/act-40-the-now-and-the-not-yet/