The past six months have been filled with grief for me. I watched close friends struggle through the suicide of a family member. I could see my grandmother was nearing her end. A freak accident ended up in the death of my little cockatiel. A dog attack on our farm killed my favorite goat who I had hand raised from a baby. Friends lost loved ones to Covid. Finally, my grandmother met Jesus face to face.
Grief has been a constant companion in these days. Here are some things I have learned walking in the valley of the shadow of death.
Jesus is here too. He holds you when you can’t hold onto Him.
Jesus being close doesn’t make death any less sad. You can love and know Jesus and weep all at the same time.
Our culture doesn’t make room for grief, but God does. When Jesus’ close friend Lazarus died, Jesus, who knew He was about to raise Him from the dead, still wept. Think about that. The Son of God who spoke all things into existence and who was moments away from raising Lazarus from the dead still wept. Jesus understood the infinite power of God in a way we can’t even imagine. Jesus still wept.
Let that sink in.
Jesus is coming to make all things knew. We will see our loved ones again.
Right now, in our loss, we weep. Jesus weeps with us.
It’s okay to stop and cry.
Take time to feel the pain. Don’t run from it. It will outrun you.
Be still. Play worship music. Read your Bible. Sit with Jesus and let Him walk you through your grief. He is strong enough. Somehow, in His mysterious way, your grief, that heartache that feels like it will crush you, will be a seed planted in hope.
That seed will be watered by your tears and your worship and your prayers. In ways that are impossible for the grieving soul to understand in the moment, God will use your great loss to grow Kingdom fruit.
It’s not the “why” of the loss- it is just the certainty of it.
Knowing this won’t make the loss easier. Loss isn’t easy. Death is awful.
You don’t have to understand why it happened. Some questions aren’t answered on this side of heaven.
You can focus on the character of God- He never changes. He is good. He is kind. He is working all things for good.
Know this. There will be days when your loss seems easier to bear and you will laugh again. It will happen sooner than you expect. When you laugh, you will feel guilty. Are you betraying the dead by being happy again? Is your love for them lessened by feeling the sun on your face again?
No. You are a child of the Promise. You are living with resurrection hope. You will laugh, and you will grieve. Your laughter will be purer, because you grieve. Your grief will be purer because you laugh.
We are citizens of a heavenly Kingdom. We live and love and grieve and weep. We know a truth that the world longs for. Jesus is real. He has risen from the grave, and He is bringing heaven to earth.
In His coming Kingdom, death will be no more.
Right now, we grieve with hope. Jesus is coming. He will make all things new. We worship while we wait. Yes, we grieve with hope.
Anna Cirlot is a Gulf Coast family photographer. She loves capturing the beauty in the great outdoors for adventurous, kind-hearted brides and families. She loves to tell stories through her work at the beach and on her farm. She is married to her high school sweetheart, and they enjoy doing ministry together serving the local church and beyond. When she isn’t taking photos, she can be found crowded around by goats and chickens in the pasture on their family farm Redemption Square sipping a fresh brewed cup of coffee watching her children play outdoors.