I and other Christians I know are quick to admit we are not perfect. We are still a work in progress; that is not to say He isn’t able to use us as we are; just that He isn’t done with us yet. Each of us is in a stage of God’s process that is especially designed for us. It isn’t a competition. We each develop at our own pace that is set by the Holy Spirit within us. As someone who has been going through stages of spiritual development for 65 years, I can testify that some stages of the process have been uncomfortable and even painful, but it is all part of God’s purpose for us. Each of us is in the process somewhere between the babe in Christ we were when we began our journey with Him and the mature, Christ-like person God wants us to be as His son or daughter.
I was a young Christian in high school when I read a book titled, “Death and Dying”. I know it sounds gruesome reading for a teenager, but I learned a lot about living from that book. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross spent her entire career caring for and observing people who knew they were dying. She documented five stages that were universal as they each dealt with that reality. I have quoted some of her observations that seem to take on a spiritual rather than clinical tone. She obviously recognized the spiritual nature of the people she studied. She found those five universal stages also applied to loved ones going through the grieving process. I think those reactions occur in nearly every part of our process. They are: Denial (There must be some mistake. This can’t be happening to Me.): Anger (Why is this happening to me?): Bargaining (God, I will do anything you ask of me if you spare my life.): Depression (There is nothing I can do about this situation. I’m helpless.): and Acceptance (Your will be done. I’m ready.)
With all due respect to the good doctor and her research, she left out one stage that I went through while grieving, which I think is also universal. It is Guilt (If only I had gotten her to the doctor sooner. I should have gotten her out of the hospital before she got that MIRSA infection. If only I had…). Actually, that was the toughest stage for me to get through. I think there is some guilt or regret involved in everything we face, including death.
We spend our entire Christian life between our spiritual rebirth and the point at which our spirit is set free at last. I will serve my Lord for as long as He gives me life, but I’m obviously closer to the end of my tour of duty here than when I began to walk with Him those many years ago. Wherever you find yourself now, just remember it is a continuing process and it is temporary. Don’t let the enemy trap you into thinking one of the stages is your lot in life. You are only passing through them like hurdles you must clear on your way to the finish line.