As Kingdom people there are many wonderful truths that are foundations for hope. These truths allow us to hold our worldly possessions loosely. These truths open an access to a bigger picture than we can now see. We can and we do believe that God is somehow at work and working things out for the greater good.

BUT, when a person is in a stunned state having lost everything in a fire and is choking sobs as she stirs in the charred ruins for some recognition of her story, the verbalization of these truths sound cruel.

Job’s friends got one thing right. They were quiet for seven days.

I wonder if our rallying cry that “we grieve but not as those who have not hope” is sometimes applied as “we hope and therefore we don’t need to grieve.”

I somehow don’t think we are marginalizing God if we simply weep with the one who has lost the tangible evidences of her story and validate the tragedy.

I welcome your thoughts.