I've read many of Zig Ziglar's books throughout the years. He is a purveyor of postive thinking and has written so much to help those in business as well as those who need a new perspective on life. What I never knew was that one of Zig Ziglar's children, Susan, passed away. I also did not know that Zig was a Christian. At the time she passed, he had written many self-help books. But after her passing, he had trouble making sense of all he had previously written. He found it very difficult to be positive and he took time off from work to process the unimaginable event that affected him. He turned to his faith to make sense of this loss and wrote a book about the journey. These are some passages (randomly selected) from his book.
"God is the author of all the seasons of our lives. He is in charge of not only the seasons that we see as being fruitful, productive and positive, but also the seasons that we human beings see as negatives. He is in charge of the complete rhythm of life. So often we focus our attention only on one phase of a loved one's life. To do so is to miss the greater whole."
"All that the loved one experienced in this life as experienced in only a fleeting moment against the unending panorama of heaven. Against the length of eternity, our time spent on this earth cannot even be mathematically calculated. This forever season of a loved one's life so far overshadows even his best seasons of life on earth that they cannot be compared."
"I have learned that God has a purpose for our lives that we may not know this side of eternity. He alone knows all of the purposes for which He created us. He alone knows when those purposes have been fulfilled."
"God does not see time the way we see time. God measures one's success not in terms of longevity but rather as fulfillment of one's God-given purpose in life."
"You can do many things to increase the quality of your life but the time of your earthly departures is not yours to determine. When that moment comes, God will not be the least bit surprised. It is part of His plan for you. Let me encourage you to consider that fact, especially if you are wondering whether there is anything you could have done to prolong your loved one's life or if you are feeling guilty that you were in some way neglectful or that you contributed to your loved one's death."
"God sees a future we cannot see. He is both omnipresent and omniscient, which means that He alone fully sees the ending from the beginning and knows precisely when to act for our full benefit. Don Hawkins sent me this verse of Scripture: The good men perish; the godly die before their time and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from evil days ahead (Isa. 57:1) Romans 8:28 declares that 'all things work together for good' to those of us who are Christians. It does not say that every single incident is good. While the loss of my precious daughter may not make any sense to me with my limited understanding of time and the future, I still can trust that God in His infinite understanding of time and eternity has acted out of mercy and love in calling her home to Himself. He has worked all things together for her good, and He is working all things together for our good as well."
"Success is finishing what God gave you to do. When that happens you are together and triumphant with the Lord. Whether it be illness or accident, our loved one
went together to be with the Lord 'in the twinkling of an eye'. From the world's viewpoint this was a great tragedy. But as Dr. Graham pointed out so well, from the divine perspective this was an incredible triumph."
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-The previous excerpts are from Zig Ziglar's book, The Grieving Christian.
We look at life and the hereafter through different prisms. Even Christians can differ on doctrine, but reading a full scope of information and viewpoint can help provide pieces to our personal puzzle of healing.
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