Life is filled with many little deaths. A desire, a dream, a wish is not birthed into full reality and we must grieve. And however big or small, grief reminds us that the loss matters and needs to be honored.
While we understand grief at the death of a loved one, it’s often harder to acknowledge the many other griefs that come our way.
Perhaps an injury keeps us from our dream job. Or the ups and downs of the economy delay our financial plans.
We might also have to grieve certain limitations. There’s not enough time in the day to do all we desire. And sometimes our best is not good enough to play on the team or be given a coveted position.
Even in relationships, we might have to grieve who the other person is not. They might never be as adventurous or witty as we are, for example, and we must come to terms with this reality.
Grief allows us to honor the things that matter to us. And while others may never see or fully understand, it’s still important to acknowledge the losses we experience.
Grief changes us – and if we allow, for the better.
We only harm ourselves when we deny our grief or believe our losses are not worthy to grieve.
And this often leads to anxiously trying to control life to prevent future losses or living in hopeless resignation as we realize we cannot stop the losses.
To grieve well is to grieve in hope.
We honor the loss and trust that our story is not over yet – that God still brings new life after death, even these little deaths.
Honor your many griefs as you wait for God to make all things new.
Photo by Francisco Moreno on Unsplash
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