Greetings to the blessed people of East Zorra who mourn!
Even In the short time I have hung around EZMC, there have been many that have experienced the loss of someone they know. Is there such a thing as ‘Good Grief’, especially when the loss is someone very close to us?
The usual use of the expression ‘good grief’ denotes an exclamation of irritation, frustration, or surprise. When we lose a loved one, we grieve. It hurts! Your grief is as personal and unique as your fingerprint; no one else will have the same bereavement experience as you and there is not one “correct” way to respond to loss. It seems that the more we have loved someone, the more we grieve. We say our hearts are broken.
We hurt because the deceased has left a big hole in our lives. No longer can we enjoy their company, their uniqueness, their smile, their humour, their idiosyncrasies. And there is no replacement to fill that big hole. You don’t ever ‘get over it’ or ‘move on’. But there is some consolation. There is some good news. “They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly — that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp”. — Anne Lamott. Helen Keller says: “What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us”.
In addition, I believe that God’s grace and sovereignty are greater than any loss or disappointment. Since Genesis, death has been part of humanity’s reality. Jesus came to assuage the effects of the curse. My intellect may not understand why God allows tragedy to strike, but I can rest in His infinite wisdom and tender mercies. One look at Jesus’ suffering on the cross, and we know He understands our pain and does something about it. ‘The Lord had anointed him to preach the gospel to the poor and to heal the brokenhearted’ (Luke 4:18)
‘Good Grief’ is when I allow Him to comfort and heal me.
And, we will remember them.
Pastor Lloyd