Death leaves a hole in our hearts. Our souls long to be with our loved one again, but this intimacy can no longer be enjoyed in this life. But while death takes many things from us, it cannot steal our love. Our love for each other is stronger than death and transcends the grave because love never fails even when our bodies do.
Grief is a witness to the depths of our love. We grieve when our love for each other can no longer be fully embodied. When we can no longer see each other’s face, laugh at silly jokes, or enjoy a meal together the ache in our soul remains.
It seems cruel that time moves on when we cannot move forward in time with our loved one. And this leaves us feeling not only the grief of our loss but also guilt for no longer being able to do life together. Are we betraying our love when we open our hearts to joy again in this life?
While death robs us of many moments and time does not stop, we do not have to question our love. Love is eternal. It is not bound by time and death cannot touch it. This means also that it’s not dependent on our immediate awareness or attention. Our love is not diminished by drinking deeply of the joys still available in the land of the living.
In fact, our souls are expanded, as grief will leave us forever changed. We do not get over what was lost, but we expand our hearts to receive more of what God has for us. And this fuels our eager anticipation for the restoration of all good things – including that grand reunion with all our loved ones who have gone on before us.
In the end, grieve. And remember love never fails. It’s stronger than death and transcends the grave. Our hearts will be reunited again.
Photo by Chris Gallagher on Unsplash
