The physical and emotional presence of pain- My reflections of C.S. Lewis 'A grief observed'

27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

C.S. Lewis writes this about grief: Grief is like a bomber circling round and dropping its bombs each time the circle brings it overhead; physical pain is like the steady barrage on a trench in World War One, hours of it with no let-up for a moment. Thought is never static; pain often is.

Scene 1. Heavy fighting on the front line where men and woman are under heavy attack from above and before them. The sounds of heavy artillery can be heard in every direction.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.[a]

"May day, may day, We're being attacked all around us!", Paul screams into his military phone, Paul is dirty, thirsty and hungry as he crouches in the man-made trench with the rest of his fellow soldiers. Not only did they have concerns for the enemy soldiers ahead of them, but they were mindful of the enemy planes dropping bombs all around.

  

He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
for his name's sake.

A sound of a loud explosion not far from where Paul laid on his stomach with his gun blasting a barrage of bullets ahead of him. The ground shook with each bomb.  The physical pain of being in this trench, without knowing when you might take the hit, was, at times, too much for him that made him think of simpler times when mom and dad were reading a bed time story when he was five. A tear drop formed at the corner of his eye with that passing thought

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,[c]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

The scene switches back to the trenches. Paul screams instructions to his unit. To the man injured on his left, he shouts instructions to his unit medic to help him. Bombs are dropping at a fast rate from above. The sound of machine-gun fire while bullets are flying past their helmets. Some hit their target while others do not. A momentary thought of his 5th birthday party in the home of his youth with family members, no longer with him, singing happy birthday until Paul shook his head back to the reality of the battle before him.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

The scene switches back to the heavy artillery and the sounds of bombs dropping all around them. More instructions are given to his unit, as though his voice gives them hope they will survive this current battle. A bomb hits its designated target, blowing up a few of the men in the process. Panic sets in with some of the guys. One man traumatized at the sight of his dismembered friend and soldier shakes visibly as he screams out his name. Paul screams instruction to his unit chaplain to get him out of harms way before he gets hit. 

6 Surely goodness and mercy[e] shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

In the minds of men, woman and children everywhere, grief lingers on in flashbacks, nightmares about the day or night their loved died. Many reflect on the thought they will never see their loved one in this life again without the corresponding picture of the beautiful homecoming in heaven.Whatever pain you may have in this present life, Jesus promises to restore each of us at a timetable that is unique for you. 

Then one day when your purpose is finished on this earth and your final breath is taken, you will take your first breath in a place that some refer to as a smorgasbord of the senses while surrounded by the saints who went before you and a hug from the Savior with the words, "well done, my good and faithful servant!"