Walking through the Valley of Tears
One Man's Journey from Grief to Gratitude
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
April 19, 2011 My Response - Worship
The loss of a spouse tests everything about you. Shaken to my core, I have so many questions, so few answers. All I believe is being held up and tested. Do I still believe in God? Now I understand why questions of evil and suffering are the toughest to answer. How easy it is to resent God, to question a God you may no longer even believe in. The first question is a simple one.
Is there a God or not?
Some might view such a personal loss as evidence no God exists and if there is, he is an impersonal one. I choose to believe in a living, personal God. Not out of some sort of wishful thinking, but because I really believe the evidence is overwhelming, the loss of my wife notwithstanding. We live in a fallen world. Yes, evil, pain, and suffering exist. Yet, the God of Heaven holds me, binds me, and comforts my broken heart. What else, who else, can I turn to?
I find His healing touch in worship. Man was made to worship. The only question is, “What do we worship?” I praise a God who made me, who loves me and comforts me in my grief. Knowing the “Man of Sorrows” helps me to deal with my own.
Thank you, Lord, that the grief I have is something you are intimately familiar with.
Jesus wept. (John 11:35)
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Silence is like a burglar alarm that won’t turn off. Grief must like silence; the mere whisper of a cry or hint of a tear and Grief makes its presence known. Silence is a megaphone for Grief. A constant that is a deafening reminder of what I am missing. Yet, I find at times it also promotes a quietness with my Lord. Somehow I need to find a way to cherish the solitude in a positive way.
“Proving once again that God’s light is brightest when our hour is darkest, Walking through the Valley of Tears is one man’s surprising discovery of unending grace at his time of greatest grief. This is a must read for anyone experiencing loss or needing affirmation of God’s limitless love.”
—Rosemary Clair, author of Heir of Earth
“When your body is exhausted and your soul is parched, you can find unexpected comfort, nurture, rest, and renewal in the darkness of the valley. Buddy McElhannon reminds us that resources are abundant in the valley as the living water pours forth through tears and grief gives way to the riches only heartache can cultivate. Heartwarming, honest, and hopeful, Buddy gently invites us all to journey together with Christ through the depths of the valley and introduces us to good soil, calm water, and the protected canopy that God provides so we can once again shout with joy from the mountaintop. I promise that Buddy will be a helpful guide as you find strength in weakness, hope in despair, and joy in journey while Walking through the Valley of Tears.”
—Reverend Catherine Boothe, United Methodist minister and former hospital chaplain
About the Author
Buddy McElhannon is a forty-one year employee with AT&T. He married his high school sweetheart, Tootie, in 1972. He and Tootie had five children. He now lives in Conyers, Georgia.