GRIEVING THE SPIRIT
Ephesians 4:30

The implication of the verse, “Grieve not the Spirit,” is that it is an action on our part that grieves Him. For me, I never took the time to think through what that meant exactly except I really did not want to do it. Not until I began to experience what it means to grieve did I begin to spend any time thinking about what it is that grieves Him.

I have greatly grieved inwardly when my children did not get along. I have grieved when they have isolated themselves from me or someone else in the family. I found myself grieving when I knew that there was bitterness and anger between two of them, or three of them, or when one of them was jealous of the other. When I saw indifference where there should have been support and encouragement, my heart was so heavy. Sometimes, there would be long stretches when they wouldn’t call just to say “hi” or to see how we were doing. My heart has been deeply stirred when I sensed they were making unwise choices that would keep them back from experiencing the matchless joys and blessings of the Lord. When I would see that their walk with the Lord was cooling off, and my attempts at conversations about Him were not welcomed, I would walk through the day with indescribable heaviness.

The longer I am a mom, the better I understand grief. Perhaps I should say that the longer I am a mom, the more I understand the grieving of the Holy Spirit. For a long time, my grief could have been defined as “grief as it affected me.” However, as time has gone on, I grieve because I see a better way for the other person, I know there is victory available but being scorned, and I am aware that disobedience and casualness rob people of the incredible “best” of God. And I grieve because it is so very obvious that such things cause the old “ripple effect” in God’s big picture.

My sense of grief, I’m sure, does not compare with what the Spirit of God feels. Yet, as I have begun to recognize grief and its causes, I am catching a glimpse of what must cause Him grief and if my pain is what it is, how intense and immense His must be.

Think about this in light of the body of Christ? Why would not the Spirit be grieved at the dissension among church members and board members and spouses and teachers? When we isolate ourselves from the body because of hurt feelings or anger, does this not deeply grieve Him? When He watches us make foolish choices and when He observes our hearts cooling, and when we never “call home,” would this not grieve Him?

It has been a difficult, yet worthwhile, lesson to learn. Now when I snap at my husband or fail to spend time with the Lord, when that subtle coolness begins to set in, or when I gossip about one of my brothers or sisters, a reminder comes much more quickly that I am grieving the Spirit of God who desires to bless me and teach me and encourage me and make me a winner.

Do we care? Maybe you're like me...much of my life I gave very little consideration to whether my life was grieving the Spirit or not. Next time your heart is heavy because of what you see or hear, or what someone does or says to you, let it remind you of this verse. This is something to be taken seriously...grieving the Holy Spirit. Maybe the best antidote is loving the Lord our God with all our heart!

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