Valleys of Sorrow...
by Denise Morris on 11/30/2006 at 2:30 PM
I've been reading David Crowder and Mike Hogan's new book, Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die: Or the Eschatology of Bluegrass . Tidy little title, isn't it?
The book talks a lot about what people have thought about the soul (its role, purpose, location) throughout history. It also chronicles the history of bluegrass music as a way of showing an interesting connection between the soul, death and the haunting tones of bluegrass. This book is different than any I've read before, but it is thought-provoking and honest.
The authors (who are hilarious and clever, by the way) wrote the book because both have experienced the heartache of losing people close to them. Both Crowder and Hogan were close friends with the pastor who was electrocuted when baptizing someone during a church service. You may remember the story. Crowder and Hogan talk through their struggles with dealing with loss, with fighting to remember their loved ones, with trusting in spite of circumstances. The back cover of the book sums up the hope we as Christians have when it comes to death: "Death does not win. It is not the end. It is the beginning ..."
This book reminds me of Jars of Clay's "The Valley Song." Each verse in the song talks about the pain of loss, the heartache that comes from death, but the chorus repeats the truth that God is merciful. Sometimes the trick seems to be figuring out how to grieve while still trusting that God is faithful. These lyrics talk about the balance between the churning pain and the peace of God.
For those of you who are hurting, may the Holy Spirit's presence give you comfort today:
And though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down
I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy
Alleluia, alleluia
1. Steve said the following at 3:25 PM on Nov 30:
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This is a nice find. There aren't enough writers reaching a twentysomething audience articulating how to handle sorrow. It triggered for me a realization that my renewed interest in bluegrass came right after the premature passing of my father. Bluegrass, like some country music, just seems to be a much better vehicle for strong emotions such as sorrow than other genres.
2. Fred Walker said the following at 7:10 PM on Nov 30:
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Maybe I'm not reading this clearly but I've always been puzzled by people who talk about death as not the end but the beginning but who are just as sad as people who think that death is the end. Why are people not happy for the death of christian loved-ones? I mean we love them and want the best for them and it's definitely better to be with Christ but people only seem to use the idea of being in Heaven as a comfort, as though it would be better for them to be alive but if they're dead at least they're happy.
3. erin said the following at 12:05 AM on Dec 1:
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"Why are people not happy for the death of christian loved-ones?"
I think, in the midst of grief over a loved one, it's very hard to be "happy," even though knowledge that the person is in heaven is comforting (although such comfort may not come right away). Most of the time grief is experienced not only because the person has died but because the people who love the person are faced with a life without them. Yes, they are in a better place and are happier than we can imagine, but what about those left behind? What do they do with their grief? That is where the struggle comes into play.
4. Steve said the following at 4:43 PM on Dec 1:
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I think the main reason Christians feel more sorrow than happiness over the death of other believers is because God's original plan for us didn't include death. That came with the fall. In fact, in the Lazarus story, many believe the reason Jesus wept was because he was experiencing the death of a friend in human context. This realization helped me to grieve more openly the loss of my dad (and other relatives) and also helped me understand C.S. Lewis's agonizing in the movie Shadowlands.
5. Joy W. said the following at 12:30 PM on Dec 2:
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In response to the second post...
My mom, who was a Christian, died about two and a half years ago. She had faced a great deal of pain in her battle with a debilitating disease, so she was truly looking forward to leaving her earthly body and entering heaven. When she went, I was happy for her beyond measure (and I still am).
But I do experience a great deal of sorrow. I'm sad because my dad is facing the remainder of his life without his wife. I also mourn the fact that my siblings and I do not have our mom with us to share in life's little ups and downs, and we will not have her with us when we each get married and have children.
In my experience, at least, we don't grieve because our loved one's life is ended--we know it has just begun. We grieve because we miss someone we love.
6. Fred Walker said the following at 6:54 PM on Dec 2:
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I think I understand what you guys are getting at, thanks for elaborating.
7. Beth said the following at 5:49 PM on Apr 7:
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I agree with all the above posts. I don't think you'll truly be able to understand death and the sorrow that comes with it until you lose someone close to you.