“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” — Job 1:20-21
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In the realm of athletics, we do very little in isolation. At some level, athletes are constantly working with one another, with coaches, or with trainers.
When it comes to grief — whether that is a national kind of grief or primarily personal — we grieve best when we grieve as a team. Regardless of the circumstances, for the cause of our own health, we need to learn to grieve well. Because grief could be right around the corner for all of us, it’s helpful to know how to navigate the situation in a healthy way.
The Bible reveals the realities of life and death in many different ways through the experiences of various people. One of those was a man by the name of Job.
Although the author of the Book of Job is not stated and the date is unclear, many believe Job to be one of the oldest stories in the Bible. Job is presented to us as a wealthy farmer from a place called Uz. He was well-known as an upright individual so much so that God calls Satan’s attention to him. The devil, being unimpressed, asked permission from God to attack Job by wiping out his possessions and his family. Job’s grief process was lengthy and extends through the book over the course of multiple chapters; however, his initial response to tragedy and ensuing response to grief is helpful to us today.
Though grief is difficult, we can still grieve well. The question is how, or when, do we grieve well? Job 1:20-21 (above) suggests three moments.
First, we grieve well when we recognize reality. Job recognized reality, as the text indicates he stood up and tore his robe. Former golfing great Bobby Jones once said something that helps us think about the recognition of reality. He said, “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots, you get good breaks from bad shots. But you have to play the ball where it lies.”
The second moment we grieve well is when we repeat relevant rituals. In Job 1:20, it says that he tore his clothing, shaved his head, and fell to the ground. These actions for Job were relevant rituals associated with grief. In the Old Testament, grief is often expressed through rituals. Common practices included tearing one’s garments, wearing sackcloth, sitting in ashes, fasting, and weeping. These acts were outward signs of inner grief pains, and repeating these can be a helpful method of release.
The third moment we grieve well is when we rest in God. In 1:21, Job shows that he is seeking to rest in God, as he acknowledged that he would leave the world equally as “naked” as he came into it. Then he praises the name of the Lord in an act of rest and trust. Just as Job trusted his grief to God, so can we. It was Corrie Ten Boom who said, “Let God’s promises shine on your problems.”
In our world, there are many things that cause us to grieve. Let’s team up and get through this together with the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to give us life abundant.
— Dr. Brad King
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