"The Silent Voice of Grief"

There are moments in grief when your emotions bear down upon your soul with the same intensity and strength with which the ocean shoreline receives its crashing waves. These waves of unscheduled grief wash in and over your day with an unbearable pain from the ripple affect of loss. For some of us who already have a loved one waiting for us in heaven (that loved one of yours might be a child, mate, parent, sibling, or friend), do you find on those really hard days reaching out for that favorite frame picture of that person?

You then begin to carry on a conversation with the one-dimensional photograph, while also tasting each fallen tear that has streamed down your cheeks and mixed with your conversation. Pressing the frame flesh against your heart, you squeeze it so tightly as if you almost believe that your ache could revive life into your loved one. And when that doesn’t happen, what is there to do but to fall into bed curled up as a child, offering your heartache up to the Lord? Though thankful to have a photo, your memories are so vivid, so alive how could they begin to compete with a one-dimensional picture? So you are left empty and unsatisfied, yet not ready to let it go. You cradle that frame in your arms while allowing the exhaustion to rest in your Savior’s care.

John 14:3 “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am there you may be also.”

We have grief here, but will never experience it in heaven. We are meant to never say good-bye to our loved ones, but since the fall of creation, that is what we must do over and over again. We must remember we are sojourners here and that Jesus is preparing our “forever home”. So when others go ahead of us, yes, we do feel strange and sad because of who is missing from our world.

The apostles didn’t understand what Jesus meant when He told them that he had to leave them and that He was preparing their “real home” (eternal home). Like the apostles, we have a hard time understanding why our loved ones have to leave us and why we have to wait to join them. Our heavenly home is being made especially for us. How can our imaginations even begin to picture what it will look like or be like? It is that dark cloudy glass we are looking through now that scripture talks about. Yet one day, we will see Christ face to face and will understand so much more. But for now, we’ve been given “The Comforter” to strengthen, comfort and to help us understand our purpose in our pain. For you see, God draws us to Himself and nourishes our wounds with a healing balm, so that we may minister that same hope to others in their time of grief. We don’t even have to be “out of grief” to help others in theirs. What a privilege it is to be used in such a way until our Bridegroom comes for each us to take us home.

Lord, our pain is real and You know it so well. Thank you for Your patience and gentleness. You never dismiss or minimize our hurt. You suffered more than we could ever imagine and You did that for us! Help us to be real with our grief, and help us to keep our eyes on the Prize (You); then to always walk alongside someone else with the same patience, grace and love You have shown us.

May it be our desire that we be women who live in the present and are aware of the world around us. May we take notice of the blessings God gifts to each of us, and always long to hear His whispers. Shall we also pray with a more purposeful focus on God’s will? And as we stay connected in our relationship with Christ, we will become more thankful followers. Let us commit to doing this together! Close your eyes…Open your heart, let God’s Spirit empower you today.