JUST THINKING: When We Grieve
I have conducted just over 1,000 funerals in my 60 years of ministry. Most were for older adults who were believers, but among those were infants, children, teens and young adults. Sadly, there were also those who had never trusted Christ as Savior. For me, those were difficult as far as attempting to console grieving families. I was just thinking about the truth that when we grieve, our Lord always cares.
• It is natural to grieve. Gordon Jensen captured that truth when he penned these lyrics, “God sees the tears of a brokenhearted soul, He sees your tears and hears them when they fall, God weeps along with man and takes him by the hand. Tears are a language God understands.” I know of no greater example of this than when Mary and Martha lost their brother, Lazarus to death. When Jesus came to them, the Bible tells us, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35 NIV.) God cares for you in your grief.
• Grieving is not sinning. One thing I’ve learned over the course of my long ministry is that well-intentioned people often say poorly-worded things to those who grieve. Unwittingly, they cause the heartbroken to feel they are sinning by grieving. That is not true. As He shared the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). God doesn’t bless sin, but He certainly blesses and comforts those who grieve.
• Our grief is temporary. Our lives are but a vapor compared to eternity and even to the number of years humans spend on earth. Death is but a process by which the deceased is taken into eternity. While we certainly do not quickly get over the loss of loved ones in this world, when we are reunited in the presence of the Lord, our sorrows and griefs will be no more. The Psalmist wrote, “Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:4-5).
• The end of grieving lies ahead. Paul wrote the Thessalonians church, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (I Thess. 4:13). I mentioned those for whom I had conducted funeral that were unsaved. They had no hope. Their unsaved loved ones who are left behind have no hope either. That’s why we need to share the gospel with everyone we can.
Here’s the good news! The reward of believing in Jesus as Savior and Lord is spending everlasting life with Him on the New Earth. The old way of life will have passed and a new one will never end. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
Jesus is coming again! “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). Yes, indeed, the end of grieving lies ahead!
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Dr. Tom Mitchell
Dr. Tom Mitchell pens a column titled, Just Thinking, in which he addresses many topics relative to the Baptist Missionary Association. His Trailblazers series provides biographies of many BMA trailblazers from the past.
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