Recently, a family member passed away from a yearlong battle with cancer.  We were heartbroken and tears flowed for weeks following his passing. While I believe the Bible is 100% accurate, part of 1 Corinthians 1:55, “Where, O death, is your sting?” seems inconsistent in the season we experienced.  We surely felt the sting of death and loss and it hurt.  A wife lost her husband.  A father and mother lost their son.  Sons lost their dad.  So many painful losses. Though I know how the Corinthians passage ends and I am thankful for the hope of heaven we have through Jesus, in the weeks leading up to and following his passing, we were a wreck.  Is that okay? I think so.

The Apostle Paul goes on to say, “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. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”  As believers, we have hope for a future to be present before the Lord and our loved ones that have gone on before us.  In the present, we still grieve and can feel its sting even with the understanding that our loss is temporary.

I’m thankful for God’s promises and the fact that we can cling to them in the times of our deepest grief.  God’s peace and comfort soothe the soul when we draw near to him.

Encourage someone in your life who is going through grief and loss by being present with them and praying for them.