Counterfeit

This morning as I was standing in the shower allowing the water to wash the streaks of salt left behind by rivers of tears my mind raced. I was thinking about how Satan counterfeits the things of God. It seems that for every good, healthy or beautiful thing God gives Satan offers a counterfeit, a shadow of the experience God offers.

God offers covenant marriage, a relationship in which each partner is free, loved and fulfilled. Satan convinces us that sex is something God is withholding and that we should take the pleasure but we suffer the pain of the act outside of the covenant, counterfeit. Satan insists on self-centered marriage where everyone hurts, suffers and longs for completion, counterfeit.

God offers relationship, freedom and fulfillment. Satan convinces us faith is not about faith at all but about checklists and a list of “dos” and don’ts”, counterfeit.

And the list goes on and on...

The scary thing about counterfeits is that they must in some way resemble the original. Satan weaves a whisper of truth into his imitation and we believe his lies.

Then I thought, so what about grief? I’ve had to fight for my grief. Our society backpedals from the depth of sorrow that I experience every minute. We want to fix it. People say things like “you’ll get through this.” Or “keep your chin up” As my beloved little brother says “You keep your chin wherever the heck you want to.”

We don’t like grief. I wont get through this. I will carry it with me always. I want to. I need to. I will go “through” stages, yes, but I will never get to the other side of sorrow. Not until I get to glory.

It seems everything in my fleshly nature tells me to do things opposite of the way God is guiding me along each step toward healing. Does Satan counterfeit grief? I think he does.

Death is bad, pain sucks but grief God’s way brings life and healing. Grief Satan’s way brings embitterment, festering and death.

So, I will fight for my grief. I will fight to do this God’s way which to the world looks weird and backward and dark but in the black I see the light.