Eternity is written into our souls, which makes death a hard reality to come to terms with. While we’re separated from our loved ones who have died, they live on and we will see them again. And our grief will remain until that day. It’s a long grief – a type of homesickness that endures until we’re back at home with each other again.
Even long funerals are short compared to the magnitude of grief that continues long after our loved ones have been buried. The funeral is a necessary ritual to initiate our journey of grief, but it’s a mistake to assume all our grief can be processed and healed within the few days leading up to and after a funeral.
Healing implies wholeness. And wholeness here will only happen when we’re finally reunited with our loved ones in the new heavens and the new earth. In the meantime, we must learn to come to terms with our absence from each other. We make the most of the life still available to us, but much like living in a foreign land and longing to return home, a deep ache in our souls remains.
This is a long grief. And there’s no need to rush it or pretend it doesn’t exist. We dishonor our love when we try. To be sure, this is not an excuse to withdraw from life. We must continue to faithfully write the love story God has given us until the day we die. And let us be kind to our grieving souls as we do.
In the end, grief cannot be rushed and will continue to come in waves to our soul while our life in this world remains. This is a long grief reminding us we’re not home yet. Honor these moments and carry on.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
