I’m learning that for every season that ends, even joyous seasons, there is a period of grief. A longing to hold on for just a little bit longer, the feeling of loss, wishing that you had just a little more time.
I’d rather avoid grief. I’d rather skip over those umcomfy feelings, hop past the tears, and jump right into the next season.
But in Matthew 5:4, Jesus speaks these words, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We are called to mourn. We are called to allow those feelings to surface, to process through them. The second part of this verse tells us why-in order for Jesus to provide comfort, we must experience the grief. If we hide the grief from ourselves and those around us, we are also hiding it from Jesus. But when we let Him in, when we grieve, when we allow Him to comfort us, that’s where we find healing.
Without that healing, we continue to carry the unprocessed grief which resurfaces in unhealthy ways: physically, mentally, in relationships, etc.
He’s reminding me of this today as I attempt to avoid my grief. Yesterday I avoided packing to avoid my feelings. But at the end of the day, I still had to pack and the feelings are still there.
I’m sad. I’m sad this season is ending. I’m sad to leave home again. I’m sad to say goodbye to my friends, my family, my church, my community.
This is why we have to find joy in everyday life, in every season, because soon it will come to an end. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13: “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor-it is the gift of God.”
At the end of each season begins a new one. Last week I was given a verse:
Isaiah 58:11: “The Lord will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
My God never fails. He is good. He is faithful. And even when I can’t see a clear path, I choose to trust Him.
How do you experience grief? How do you process through change? Where do you need to let Jesus into your life?
Are you finding joy in each day? Are you finding joy in each season? What verses speak to you and give you hope in uncertainty?
If all of life (including the physical “first death’) is a journey, then I sort of see departures – the conclusion of one stage and beginning of the next – as necessary reflective intersections along the growth highway. Just like road intersections offer a change of direction, so do the changes of season in our spiritual journeys, when we are forced to answer anew the same challenge Jesus offered to his disciples on their way to Jerusalem (John 6:66-69). Each intersection is a chance for us to praise his leadership through the section which we have just concluded, and to reaffirm our trust and commitment to his leadership for the still unknown section ahead. Be assured that the Lord Jesus WILL GUIDE your path ahead, just as he will care for all who you have know that will not be accompanying you on that section, as they give allegiance to him.
Those are very wise words John. Thank you.
So much solid truth in here, Lauren. Learning to live with the tension of joy and mourning is a lifelong journey. Super proud of the way you’re walking through it!
As I read this, Jeremiah 17:8 came to mind:
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Blessings, Lauren! You are loved!