Grief is not something Christians handle well. Yet, grief is all around us in this broken world. By saying that, I don't just mean the grief that comes with the death of a loved one or friend. All change brings loss, even good change. I remember the time we took our first child to college. This was a good change. Yet, as we drove away, I felt the sadness of grief. That is because this change, even though good, brought loss. In fact, all loss brings grief. This means, in a changing world, we all experience loss and, in that loss, grief. Yet, I so very rarely hear people affirm the loss of change and its accompanying grief. If it is expressed, I often see people awkwardly fumble the opportunity to respond with compassion. When we feel pressure to say something, we often, say something trite or callous and discouraging to the hearer. I have watched this and received this in my own grief. When it happens, it hurts. I bring this up because we want this community to be a place where grief can be expressed and then received with dignity and responded to with compassion, not with callous or trite sayings. Would you think with me today about this question - - "Where are you or have your recently experienced change?" - "What loss did that change bring?" - "How have you felt grief in that loss? Jesus offers mercy to us all in our loss and grief. We want to offer the same.

Posted by Bob Schindler - Community Host at 2024-01-15 13:00:02 UTC