Grief before change.

There are common themes when you read the words of the prophets. An author who has spent a great deal of time thinking about many themes found in the books of the prophets has opened my eyes to some things. I have found some of those themes to be overwhelming in many ways. I've been asking the Lord help with all that I am encountering.

But one theme in particular has stuck with me. It is the theme that grief must always come before change. We can not change what we do not grieve. I have lived this one. I have lived this one in many areas of my life.

Synonyms for grief are anguish, heartache, woe, misery; sadness, and melancholy. What strikes me this morning is that disappointment is not enough to motivate change. It may be a stepping stone on the path towards grief but it is not the same as grief. Are you frustrated about something in your life and you've wanted change for a long time now but it just doesn't seem possible? I would invite you to ask God to bring you to a place where you are able to greive over what ever it is that is bringing something other then God's goodness into your life. Is it a possession? Is it an obsession? Is it a way of life? Is it an attitude?

So other then change why would I invite grief into my life? Because the opposite of grief is JOY!