Christen Limbaugh Bloom: After devastating loss of Uncle Rush, here's how God helped me get my faith back
For a year, our family and countless loving fans prayed for Uncle Rush to be healed
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the past year, essentially every person on planet earth has experienced a certain degree of loss. Thanks to the global pandemic, we’ve all lost our lifestyles as we once knew them. But far worse, many of us have lost loved ones who we know are irreplaceable in our lives.
For me and my family, that person was my uncle, Rush Limbaugh.
For a year, not just our family, but countless loving fans prayed and petitioned for Uncle Rush to be healed. Shortly after he received his diagnosis, I was texting with Uncle Rush and sent him Romans 8:28 as encouragement: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He wrote me back, "Christen, I believe that verse to a T!" He told me that despite some misconceptions, this verse doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us is always good, but it does mean that "God Himself IS GOOD" and that because of that truth, there is "opportunity for good in everything that happens." That was Uncle Rush – always finding light amid the reality of a dark and broken world.
Upon his death, though we know he is now home with Jesus, my family has faced the aching reality of his absence. I finally understand why there are so many books and theories centered on grief; it hits us in incomprehensible waves as time passes after a devastating loss and at times makes us question our faith.
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Perhaps you are also going through the stages of grief right now and are having doubts about God’s plans. If that is the case, I want to assure you that God has a plan to return joy to your life, and He desperately wants you to get your faith back.
Remember, God created each of us to experience a range of emotions. During His time on earth, Jesus not only experienced grief, but responded to His friends’ grief with overwhelming compassion.
Pastor Tim Keller once preached a sermon about the story of "doubting Thomas" in which he highlighted that Thomas’ doubt about Jesus’ resurrection did not stem from a place of pride, but rather from a state of deep and painful grief. Keller keenly noted that Thomas had just lost his best friend and the man He believed to be His personal Savior.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}So while some might read his story and judge him for his disbelief, Jesus understood Thomas’ heart and the heavy burden he was carrying. That’s why we see Jesus appear to him with tender care, showing him the exact scars he had asked to see in order to believe.
Have you ever felt like Mary? Have you found yourself asking, "Where were you, Jesus?"
The death of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, is another instance where we see Jesus’ heart moved by the grief of His friends and followers. Upon Lazarus’s death, his sister, Mary, falls at Jesus’ feet, crying, "Lord, if only you had been here, this would not have happened!" (Luke 11:32).
People familiar with this story know that Mary’s grief evoked such sorrow in Jesus that He too, wept. A friend recently shared a fascinating theory that in that moment, Jesus was not just grieved by Mary’s sadness about her brother; He was likely also experiencing deep sadness about the fact that Mary had put her faith in Him, and she now felt that He had let her down.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Have you ever felt like Mary? Have you found yourself asking, "Where were you, Jesus?"
Take heart and remember that God did not create the world to have death and mourning and brokenness. He hates that we have fallen and now face unspeakable heartache and suffering in this lifetime. He grieves when we grieve and can’t stand to see our hope deferred.
So if you find yourself stuck in a place of bitter frustration or despair, don’t be afraid to take those feelings to Jesus. Don’t shy away from asking Him the questions and giving Him the burdens He alone can answer and carry.
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In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave instructions on how we can make our prayers most effective: "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).
When you feel Jesus has left you hanging, keep on asking. When you feel lost about the next step you should take, keep on seeking His presence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jesus finishes this thought by saying, "You parents – if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him."
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We must accept Jesus’ revelation about who the Father is, just like Uncle Rush did, in order to find the power to keep on searching for His goodness in every situation. God is a GOOD Father. When we ask for bread, He gives us bread! And this bread not only fulfills a need, it satisfies a deep longing in each of us for His perfect peace.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).