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Take Time to Mourn

Rejoice and mourn. Take time to grieve. Rejoice that a loved one is in heaven, but mourn your personal loss at being separated from them. ~Beeda Speis
By Beeda Speis

I had a surprising number of conversations yesterday about death, grieving, and mourning. Maybe it isn’t really surprising considering how many of our loved ones have passed away since the pandemic began. We try to make sense of it, but it’s just so overwhelming.

As Christians, we’re aware of 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (ESV):

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

and similar verses. Maybe we feel as if we should be rejoicing for the believer who is now living in glory, instead of mourning their departure.

I don’t believe that. I believe we need to mourn. We need to take time to grieve whether it’s a few months, or several years, we need to each deal with the loss we feel when we lose a loved one.

David Guzik puts it in perspective, though:
c. Lest you sorrow as others who have no hope: For the Christian death is dead, and leaving this body is like laying down for a nap and waking in glory. It is moving, not dying. For these reasons, Christians should not sorrow as others who have no hope when their loved ones in Jesus die. i. As Christians, we may mourn the death of other Christians; but not as others who have no hope. Our sorrow is like the sadness of seeing someone off on a long trip, knowing you will see them again, but not for a long time.

EnduringWord.com

We’ll dig deeper this week into what the Bible says about mourning, and I’ll share previous posts where I’ve talked about my own mourning. It’s not surprising that my most popular posts are about grieving and salvation. People are seeking answers during these unprecedented times.

Similar post from (my previous blog) SevenDegreesOfMe:
This Is My Hallelujah


Please join me this week in praying for those who are mourning and grieving the loss of a loved one. Please pray for their comfort and healing. Pray that they seek help and don’t try to go through the process alone.