Honest Thoughts from a Pastor

Transparency from the heart of a pastor

Thoughts on Grief

Grief is a beast I knew mostly in theory…until late-December. I have walked with hospice and church families through grief, but it is altogether different when you are the one on the other side of the table. Experience has a way of teaching you lessons you never forget. For me, it will change the way I minister to the grieving.

I have to admit I was not prepared for my mom’s passing. I knew her health was poor, but I anticipated she would live at least into her early 70s. Instead, God saw fit to provide her ultimate healing at age 65. I don’t grieve for her because she is no longer suffering with chronic pain and decreased mobility. I grieve for myself and for my kids who miss their Meemaw.

I will have a time adjusting to this new stage of life. No more calls on the ride home from work. No more drives to pick her up for church and take her home. The reminders of her physical absence will pop up rather frequently. I could continue to state the obvious for those of you who know grief well.

But, I choose to focus now on the God who will get me through this. The God who saved my mother when she place her faith in Christ. The God who calmed the fears she possessed for many years as He was bringing her home. The God who sustained me through the tough days when she was in the hospital and later in the hospice facility. The God who has pulled me close when I wondered if I could handle those moments when reality hit.

Isaiah 53 says Jesus was a man of sorrows who was acquainted with grief. John 11 records where Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus, knowing that He had the power to raise Him and would exercise that power. I am not alone in my grief, and I have felt the comfort of God like never before. He is sweeter to me now than ever!

Are you grieving? Maybe you are broken-hearted about a loss other than a person or something that seems unfair. God is with you! He has not left nor will He ever leave your side. He stands ready to meet with you where you are and console you. Let His presence comfort and minister to you today and always!

Matthew Winters

February 17, 2023

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2 responses to “Thoughts on Grief”

graf nancy

February 17, 2023 at 3:42 am

Very well said. Praise the Lord, she is now healed as is my mother. They are rejoicing together in His presence. May He continue to comfort you as He has me all these years later.

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Alan

February 17, 2023 at 4:12 am

Our deepest grief is a solitary place, where we are so human. But we can weep with those who weep. So I weep with you brother.

To our loss, we have mostly lost the spiritual capacity to lament, and so find hope in God in our sorrow. Most of the songs and hymns that are current know little of lament that is found in the Psalms. A few years ago I heard this song sung at a Good Friday service. It’s to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with lyrics written for Good Friday. The bridge before the last verse is just the word Hallelujah sung by the 2 singers for a minute or two, and thru it I heard the beauty and power of what it is to lament with hope. God comfort and bless you as you lament.

Here’s the link:

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