It was this truth in the picture above that made me move out of the stage of grief. I was stuck in the stage of grief for years, trying to stay in what I once had but ultimately lost. For me to live, I had to accept my new reality. Trying to live in the way it once was had now become a false reality. You will never find happiness chasing a memory of what once was. We can cherish those memories, but we shouldn't let those memories control our happiness, joy, peace, and overall our health.
It can be tough to move forward, but if we fail to do so while trying to live in what is no longer there, we ultimately begin to separate ourselves from reality. This is dangerous and will lead to all sorts of problems like mental illness and physical health problems.
To me, this lesson can be taught through King David, who was now on the run as his son had taken the throne by conspiracy.
2 Samuel 15 NIV
13 A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”
14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”
Now let us look into the heart of David at this time in his life. In Psalm 3, we get a glimpse at how King David felt and how he responded.
Psalm 3
New International Version
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1 Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2 Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4 I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8 From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
King David could have gone off in a cave and fell into a depression over losing the throne, but he did not. He focused on the reality of the situation. Yes, it looked grim, but his hope in God always brought him back to reality. David speaks about God being his shield, a God who answers prayers, a God of peace, a God who holds life and death in His hands, a God so powerful he need not fear the immediate circumstances, and a God who delivers the righteous.
King David chose to stay grounded in reality, which helped him be prepared for where God was leading him.
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