Grief From Loss- A 7- Day DevotionalSample

God gives grace for the journey. Grace isn’t something I fully understood until grief struck and sorrow filled my heart. The nights when I felt the loneliness, Grace was there. The nights when I felt that I simply existed, Grace was there. As Bailey’s first milestones, first birthdays, and holidays were missed because her new residence was in heaven, Grace was present with me on earth. There weren’t fireworks that appeared in my heart, allowing me to see this grace. No, it was time. You see, many people have said that “time heals all wounds,” but I found that to be false.

Time does not have a healing agent. God heals our wounds, and He uses the time as a process to do the work. I have learned over the last three years that God truly is faithful. Every promise that He spoke in His Word is true. The hope that we have in heaven and eternity is real, and not even grief can steal that from a true believer. I have suffered many things in this life—loss of a parent, divorce, abuse, but none of it could compare to the pain I felt the day I found Bailey’s cold, lifeless body. It’s a pain I never want to experience again. In retrospect, had I never gone to the lowest pits of grief, I would have never experienced the truth of every verse that was listed in this devotional. Jesus truly does heal. There is hope after loss. More importantly, there is hope after the grave.

The verse for today says, “No more shall there be an infant who lives but a few days.” Oh, the tears that fill my eyes as I meditate on this truth. You see, in this world we have tribulation, but we are not to be weary because Jesus has overcome this world and so will we. I want to encourage you to keep walking this journey out day by day. Keep trusting God. Keep relying on His grace. You will get through this valley, and when you do, be sure to share the comfort Christ gives you in this season with another mother or father who experiences child loss. God is the ultimate recycler of our pain, and in due season, you will be on the other side of your grief. You will still miss your child, but the sting won’t be so bad.

Practical tip: Trust. For me, it was never about getting past the death of Bailey but more so about learning to trust God to get me through the grief of it. Never ever do you forget the pain. But the sting of it eases as you trust that God was in control then and is still in control now. Be encouraged.

We hope this Plan encouraged you. This devotional reading plan is from the book Love Remains, Grief From Life, Grief From Loss, published by Bettye Nicole. Visit Bettye's blog here .