God's Goodness in Our GriefChikamu

ACCEPTING THE LOSS

In the darkness of a quiet hospital room, my family sat waiting. Days had passed as we awaited the inevitable. Then we stood in disbelief as our sister took one last breath. Her time to depart had arrived. Her death was the saddest day of our lives.

I knew the outcome of what we were about to face, and I thought I had prepared myself. But in that moment, I realized that nothing could equip me for the destruction our hearts would experience. Knowing that my sisterʻs time was limited didn’t lessen the reality of the blow once it happened. That day left us devastated and grief-stricken in countless ways.

The excruciating reality of losing her left us with difficult hardships to endure. We felt as though our prayers had not been answered, and we were left to wonder why.

It is imminent that we will experience death in our lives, including those we cherish. There is just no way to escape the grief that naturally follows death. That despair can lead us to ask questions such as, “Why us?” and “Why now?” I found myself frustrated as I wrestled intensely with the question, “What next?”

The struggle to answer our questions is dependent on what we are willing to surrender to God. My anguish led me back to my belief that God can do good work in any amount of suffering. I think this is what the apostle Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 12:9–– “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul knew anguish and he struggled too.

Understanding that I wasn’t alone helped me as I tried to make sense of it all. I recognized my need to own my weakness and resolved that I could only move forward in God’s strength and not my own.

With any loss we have experienced, God can restore us in our grief. He can bring healing to our sadness. (Psalm 147:3)

● What deep sorrow is sitting at the edge of your heart?

● Journal to God asking Him to guide you in your pain.