Grief can be a fickle thing sometimes. It comes and goes as it pleases, never hesitating to show up and linger no matter where you are. It knows no bounds and it’s the hardest thing to conquer. In fact, it might always be there, simmering under the surface, waiting for one small reminder that it still lives: a scent, a sound, a sight, can bring it all back.
Grief is a part of life. Every human will be visited by it at least once in their life; whether it is a loss of a job, loss of your innocence, loss of your health, loss of a classmate, or loss of a loved one. Living in the world after the fall of man, loss and grief are always present and there is nothing we can do to stop them.
Grief is our reminder that we love and lose, that there are joyful times and sad times, and that this world isn’t perfect and is not our final home. Sometimes, when the grief is so potent we feel as though we do not want to be here anymore in this world of sin and misery. If grief gets the better of us, it can turn a mind from being thankful for this life despite the hardships, from being thankful for the job we had, the health that used to be ours, or the loved ones that we miss but had beautiful times with, to despising everything and everyone. It can make us angry and bitter. It can make us want to die as bad as that sounds.
We must remember that, while grief is real and necessary, if it digs in too deep and we do not manage it properly, it can become a tool for the devil to turn us against God and all His promises. It will make you feel as if you are all alone and no one can help you. This is a lie the devil is feeding us through our very real loss.
As hard as it is, we need to remember the promises that our Father gave us through the Scriptures. Two passages come to mind when I think about grief and the true life God has in store for us. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 which says, “For which cause we faint not: but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
While we might experience loss as a heavy affliction, this passage nevertheless calls it a “light affliction” in comparison to heavenly glory. It reminds us that while we are on this earth, we will suffer from afflictions in many forms. However, God uses those afflictions to mold us to be the person that He calls us to be. Everything in this life happens for our eternal good and that is something that we will never fully understand until we are in Heaven. Our human, finite minds cannot comprehend how loss of any kind could be for our own good and it makes us want to shun this truth.
We have to fight that temptation of the devil and remind ourselves of what is to come even if we cannot see them now: Christ returning, God’s people being risen and taken to heaven, the heaven and earth being renewed and everything made perfect — no more sin and sorrow. If we focus only on the things we can see and feel; loss, sick bodies and minds, no job and financial issues, children losing their innocence, or being taken too early, we will never be able to focus on the truth that is strewn throughout the Scriptures. Our Father knows this is hard for our human minds to remember and focus on; that’s why He lovingly reminds us many times in His Word.
The other passage that I like to read when grief wraps its claws around my heart is Revelation 21:4-7. This passage says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And he said unto me, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.” And he said unto me, “It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.’”
This passage is such a good reminder of what is to come for us when Christ returns and takes us home. No more sin and struggling with it. No more death. No more sadness or pain. No more sickness. Can you imagine? I know I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around that. It seems so surreal and yet it is such a relief to think about.
This passage also reminds us that Christ has already paid the price for our sin and its eternal consequences. We have victory over death because Christ died for us and then was raised from the dead. For us, death and loss have no sting, they are only temporary because we will be made new.
Since we are His, our Father will sustain us in the grief we experience in our lives. The devil cannot steal even one child of God from His hands. We are Jehovah’s children and we will inherit everything. When grief attempts to drag you down into a pit in your mind, one that you think you cannot escape from, remember this: God is our loving Father, He understands how we feel and He will raise us with new life. We are saved, we have a Father who loves us and cares for us so much that He sent His son to die for us. We will eventually have new life in a new Heaven and Earth and we will all be together someday.
Grief sometimes makes us think we are alone and that there is no hope in our future, but we know that is not true. We have the Scriptures with God’s promises written over and over. We are His and He is ours. Grief may win a few battles along the way, feeling so heavy that it drags us down, but it cannot win the war because sin and death have already been beaten.
By: Brittany Bylsma
Young Calvinists 