Embrace the Grieving Process

It is biblical to grieve. It is necessary to grieve. You must not suppress your heartache and sorrow.

"Weep freely; share your anguish, your deep concern, but always with the joyful assurance that Jesus is with you. The Prince of Peace is with you, " said Dr. Bill Bright.

"There is nothing wrong with tears. You miss loved ones who have gone away. But you are not to weep as one who has no hope. Christians can still have joy even in the midst of sorrow. Everyone experiences tragedy, believers and nonbelievers alike. The difference is the believer has Christ with him."

For me, it’s not just that it is biblical to grieve but it’s that I know God understands.  He gets how much it hurts to say goodbye to a child, He grasps how your heart feels shattered and broken, He understands the pain.  I touched on this subject in one of my first blog entries on my originalgrief blog, now my faith journey blog. 

God put Jesus on this earth knowing full well what his fate would be.  It must have just been so very hard to watch him grow each day knowing what his fate would be.  I can’t imagine His pain as he looked down from heaven and watched them strip his son, throw that heavy cross on his back and force him to carry it.  How awful it must have been to see them drive spikes into his son’s hands and that crown of thorns on his head…to see the blood drip from those wounds.  God truly does understand our pain.

At the graveside of his friend Lazarus, the Bible says that "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). He understands your tears.

Lord Jesus, You are my only hope. Teach me how to grieve. Help me to cope the way your father coped when you died… with the knowledge that I will see my son again in Heaven, with the hope that death brings to all of us. Amen.