Yesterday we finished off post two by saying… “When life’s heart attacks come they can be opportunities for great joy if we will just follow God’s path.”
If you missed the first two portions of this study you can find them here:
When Peter had the first of his life’s heart attacks (see our Scripture reading from Pt. 1), he did four things that are a pattern for us to follow when we face our own heart attacks.
The first thing Peter did was to grieve the heart attack.
Luke 22:60-62-Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “I will not say, do not weep, for not all tears are evil.” Yet we live in culture that is largely afraid to grieve. Maybe this comes from our ancestral roots. I don’t know, but we often act like grieving is an evil thing. Yet when heart attacks come they cause pain. We have to grieve that pain: privately, or publicly, through therapy or mountain climbing, primal scream or prayer. We have to grieve to be healthy.
Harold Kushner says, “We can endure much more than we think we can; all human experiences testify to that. All we need to do is learn not to be afraid of pain. Grit your teeth and let it hurt. Don’t deny it. Don’t be overwhelmed by it. It will not last forever. One day the pain will be gone and you will still be there.”
Kushner is right grieving doesn’t last forever; But it can hold up our next step to joy or happiness in the heart attack if we don’t give it voice. That next step is:… Tune in tomorrow to find out! 🙂
Lillie-Put 