The "Know-It-All" Syndrome

Once upon a time someone I loved very much used to tell me, "You need to be preparing yourself, because someday your parents are going to die and you can't get all worked up about it when it happens."  

Pause......   Just giving you a minute to process that.......  

This came from someone who was had the "know-it-all" syndrome.  I know I can't be the only one who is acquainted with someone who shares this syndrome!  (Smiling) 

Death comes in many ways, sometimes it is totally unexpected.  Sometimes, we see a parent, child, close friend suffer for a very long time before death comes.  And maybe the latter gives us a bit of time to start preparing ourselves.  And sometimes it may be a blessing because we know they are finally no longer suffering.

BUT the reality is we are the ones that remain and we are human.  And we can never be fully prepared to lose someone that is so very dear to us.  No matter how strong our faith may be, we, in our human condition, are going to be brokenhearted no matter what the circumstances around the death may be.  Yes, if our loved ones have a personal relationship with the Lord, we are comforted in knowing where they are and that they are at peace.  But again, we are left here grieve.  

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)  And as I have shared before, even Jesus wept at the grave of his good friend Lazarus.  I think Jesus is letting us know that it is natural  and perfectly acceptable to mourn.  And I really don't think that the amount of faith we have dictates how we mourn or how long we mourn.  

I do think there are times when we should seek counseling from a professional counselor, and preferably a Christian counselor.  But, I love this quote and feel I need to share it with you.  

Sometimes the people in our lives with the "know-it-all" syndrome, don't know as much as they think.  And if you have someone like that who is trying to "fix" you, just consider the source and grieve the way you need to.  

Take time today to cherish some good memories of your loved one - it may bring some sunshine to your day.... remember, there is

Sunshine After the Storm

Blessings

Betsy