Grief

Recently a loved one passed to glory, and, as I start this journey of grief, I wondered about Jesus and how He grieved when He lost loved ones. As I was thinking of Jesus, I realised that He was fully human. So naturally, He must have experienced emotional reactions to loss.

We read in John 11 about the death of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. He was a friend of Jesus and, even though Jesus probably knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, He still wept. He felt His own loss and the pain and loss that Martha and Mary were going through too.

Another time, when Jesus experienced loss of His friend and cousin of John the Baptist, I found it interesting that Jesus took a boat to a remote area so He could be alone! Jesus needed time alone to process and grieve for John.

This really encouraged me that Jesus knows how we feel, as He has experienced grief too. I also found a couple of scriptures of comfort which I’d like to share with you.

‘God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4).

‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed’ (Psalm 34:18).

What an encouragement for those of us on this journey. It’s ok to take it day by day, to not be OK, to reach out to family and friends. It’s OK to be kind to yourself, but most importantly to remember that you are not alone. God is with you, and He truly does understand how you feel.

May I encourage you today to invite Him into your pain, let him walk with you, and let Him give you peace and comfort.