Grief

 Grief.

It begins the moment you find out you have lost someone you love. It is an all-consuming experience that overwhelms your mind, your heart, and your body. It feels like cortisol is being injected into your stomach. Your heart suddenly feels empty. Your limbs feel heavy. Your stomach feels knotty. Your mind feels simultaneously blank and flooded.

Sometimes, you cry so much that you don’t know if there are any tears left, and then you cry some more. Sometimes there is anger. Sometimes there is remorse. Mostly, though, there is an overwhelming sadness at the realization that you will never see someone again. At least, not in this life.

You grasp at the memories made, and you look at the ones to come with a new sadness because now all of them will be missing someone important. Someone dear. Someone so full of life that it can’t be possible for them to be gone.

How did they live such a full life? And how could they have died such a full death?

”Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.“

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬

Sin reigns in death. Sin has caused death. There is no escaping it. When the time comes, death will overtake this earthly body.

However, GRACE also abounds. Grace reigns through Christ’s victory over the grave. We know God is merciful and loving (Ephesians 2:4). We know God is gracious and compassionate (2 Kings 13:23). We can rest in these attributes. We can rest in the mercy and love and grace and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can rest in His victory; victory over the grave.

Rest. Be still, my soul. Be still.

Amen.