At any given moment, we must all be ready to mourn

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3


Last night, Linda and I attended an all staff, 80's-90's student body reunion at her former school. She spent more than 20 years at this school and still had friends working there.  While she walked around catching up on conversations with those she hadn't seen in a while, I walked over to the pictures of staff taken in 1986 and saw the picture of Linda along with all of the other 'younger me's. I saw the school's former athletic director who died the same year we lost Maria in 2007.  I overheard my wife sharing with one co-worker how awful 2007 when that same year she lost her dad just 5 months after Maria.

I, of course, enjoyed briefing staff all the things God was bestowing on my life since the tragic loss! I shared with them the grief group facilitating I've been doing and how I had just begun facilitating a new 13-week Griefshare group at my church.  I shared my grief mentoring venture with those just now entering the throes of this painful journey.  Why?  Because I wanted people to know that when we stay the course of our grieving by leaning into all of the emotions of our loss, instead of denying those emotions, God will give us a new normal filled with joy, happiness and a new passion for serving Him.

Our God is truly an awesome God who desires to walk with anyone suffering the loss of a loved one. When we grieve, it is because of the love relationship we had with the person who died. The only way we can avoid grieving is to hole up in a cave somewhere and avoid all contact with humanity- but that would not be the way I would want to live.

As I read my Bible, I'm reminded over and over that when we have Jesus in our lives our loved one goes to be with Jesus in heaven. For all that it is worth, I recommend that you read 'Heaven' a book written by Randy Alcorn.  Heaven is a scholarly book that will give you a picture of the place we will all spend eternity when we die. http://www.lifeway.com/Product/heaven-P001235774

I could tell that my wife loved catching up on old times with former staff and students!  Our God is indeed an awesome God!