This journey of learning to grieve with hope has not been easy. It has taken me nearly two years to make it through this book. There have been months between reading chapters. I simply wasn’t ready for some of the topics covered. I’ve had to put the book away for another day…or month. Grieving doesn’t follow a timeline. Grief never goes away. You just learn to stumble your way through the moments of it.
As Christians we have hope through Jesus Christ. It is because of Him and His life sacrificed that we have hope. Not just the hope of salvation because of God’s great grace. Hope for today, tomorrow and ultimately hope for heaven. Heaven is the hope of grief.
When we lose a loved one here on earth there is absolutely nothing we can do to bring them back. Wishing, hoping, thinking or praying won’t help. When we find ourselves longing for them to be back with us, we need to stop and consider what we’re really asking.
Is life here on earth so wonderful that we would want them to leave the pearly gates of Glory? Do we really want them to stop walking with Jesus on heaven’s streets of gold and return to us?
Heaven holds everything a Christian on earth is longing for.
What a blessing we have to hope for heaven, the place we will one day call home. One day we will be there…with our loved ones who have gone on before us. There is no sorrow there. Only joy unspeakable because heaven is full of Glory!
As a new calendar year unfolds, I’m closing the pages of a book that has truly changed me. It has given me strength to move on without those I’ve lost. I’ve learned to hold tightly to the hope of heaven through Jesus Christ. I’m thankful that I not only began this journey, but that I’ve seen it through to the end. Hope truly gives you wings to soar through whatever each day brings.
Keeping my eyes, mind and heart focused on things above. That is how I am continuing to grieve with hope.
I’ve known for most of my life that I haven’t ever handled grief properly. That is why I began this journey towards learning to grieve with hope with my besties. It is our hope and prayer that as we share how we’ve learned to grieve, holding tightly to the hope we have in Jesus Christ that others will be encouraged and strengthened that are on their own grief journey.
