Grief shouldn’t surprise us, but it often does.
Losses are a part of life, but we never feel prepared.
Within every loss is a choice to make.
As you grieve, will you embrace hope—the hope of Christ—or will you go it alone?
Grief will reveal you.
It’s easy to present a hope-filled, positive perspective when life is manageable. But when death steals someone you can’t live without, nothing makes sense.
You can fake ‘fine’ for a time. But when anger and bitterness sneak in, they grow toxic if ignored.
Bitterness: holding God liable for the heartache and loss you’ve experienced.
I wish this was only theoretical for me. It’s not.
When my son, Jordan, died, I experienced a season where my anger and bitterness choked out any joy. It forced me to examine deeply held thoughts about God and our relationship.
For most of my life, I believed God and I were on the same team. I aligned the desires I held for my children with His word.
Then God went off script—from my script.
In his early twenties, Jordan’s life on earth ended too soon in a workplace accident.
The blow of my loss was not just emotional and physical, but spiritual as well.
Isn’t it the natural sequence of life where an adult child buries an aging parent and not the reverse?
My loss caused me to question everything I once believed.
Longer than you may think appropriate for a Christian, I wrestled with those questions.
Path to healing
Emotional nakedness, I discovered, comes with the gruelling work of authentically grieving.
Lament—admitting to God how confused and distraught you feel—is part of that process. Turning towards God instead of away from Him is the path to healing.
Message of Easter
What broke through my doubts about God’s love was the message of Easter.
God sacrificed the life of His Son, Jesus, in a horrific death on a cross. When Jesus rose from the dead three days later, everything changed.
Jesus’ resurrection makes it possible for me to be reunited one day with my son in Heaven. And my eternal life holds the greatest adventures with Jesus. I win far more than I lose.
Pain is temporary.
I still miss my son more than I can say but I’m grateful he gave his life to Christ. Easter reminds me that this pain is temporary, and eternal joy is permanent.
Will you embrace the message of Easter and let it infuse your sorrow with hope?
Even when you don’t understand God’s plan, reaffirm your trust in Him. He is still rewarding faith.
Jesus gave His very life to save you and me from an eternity apart from Him. What a significant reason to cling to this truth and receive His gift.
Let’s leverage the Easter season as an opportunity to bolster our faith, embrace hope, and share Jesus with our grieving friends.
He is risen!
Share your response with me, “He is risen indeed!”
With you in hope,
Shirley
