Invasion of Locusts

I was reading from the book of Joel today. That's a book that is highly underrated. It's conspicuously tucked away somewhere in the collection of Old Testament books after Isaiah. You know, the books that very few of us tend to spend time in because we can't figure out how in the world pomegranate trees and plowshares fit into our society. I'm still not even sure I totally "get" it. There's some deep stuff that you have to go fishing for, but I believe when I finally do figure it out, or more like when God reveals some things, it will be very eye opening. I started on the first chapter and read about the locust and how they devour, and devour, and devour. It states in verse 4, "What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten." I didn't even realize there was more than one form of locust!
From there until the end of the chapter it discusses the response of many. The drunkard's response, the virgin's response, the priest's response, the farmer's response, even the wild animal's response. And interestingly enough...it's all the same. These are very different types of beings or backgrounds, but they are all encouraged or actually commanded to grieve...to mourn. Every life in this passage has been devoured, destroyed, or desecrated. Each "grouping" has been ransacked, pummeled, ruined. But Joel's response and admonition to them is the same...grieve, mourn. In essence, be real.
I have always thought it was interesting and, truthfully, disheartening that when people experience extreme pain or hurt, our culture encourages them to suck it up and not let anyone know they are drowning. This is especially sad in our churches. There are so many women, in particular, who are ashamed or embarrassed by the issue of being caught in a struggling or abandoned marriage that they refuse to let their guard down and be real. I think a lot of it has to do with feelings of rejection - you've been rejected by the one person who was supposed to stand by your side til death do you part, and now you just about can't stand being rejected by a group of people who don't always know how to respond to a situation like that. I think another reason women are afraid to be real is they are afraid of losing control of all feelings, either through rage or possibly opening a dam of tears that might never stop. We feel we must hold it all together because if we don't, who will?
That's why Joel's words to me are so refreshing. Five, six, seven years ago, I might not have understood this text, but now I see it in a whole new light. Joel is encouraging people to be real. He's saying, "Look what the enemy has stolen from you. He's eaten away one thing after another...and what was left, he has eaten that, and even still after that he's destroyed more. And the proper response is to grieve this loss." Allow yourself to feel the pain and grief as opposed to putting on a happy face and going on like nothing ever happened.
I realize there is a balance in this whole process, too. Yes, we need to grieve, but we also need to survive. That's why in an an earlier post I encouraged women to set boundaries on their grieving moments, so they don't get consumed with it. But what I'm getting at is allow yourself to feel your emotions, whether they are hurt, anger, fear, confusion...but turn it over to the Lord. In Joel, not only does he encourage us to grieve, but He adds to that to "cry out to the Lord". He's ultimately the ONE who can turn our chaos into peace. God is not intimidated by our emotions - He created them. He just wants us to not be afraid to experience them, and to yield them to Him. He wants us to be real. So whatever you're facing right now, don't underestimate the process of true grief. Be real with yourself and with your Creator. That's when true healing will begin to take place.