From "Sacred Sorrow"
Author Albert Y. Hsu gives us this perspective on death and grief:
"Christians sometimes think that we are not supposed to grieve, because our faith an theology provide us with confidence about heaven and eternal life. But while 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says that we are not to grieve as those who have no hope, we grieve nevertheless. Those without hope grieve in one way; those with hope grieve in another. Either way, grief is universal and not to be avoided. It is a legitimate response to loss."
The Fall that ushered lament into the world is a dark cloud, a cloud of unknowing. When death and disease come we are enveloped for a time in the cloud. As it blows over us, we fear it might cut us off from the healing, resurrecting Presence. For one confused moment we misunderstand, thinking its very existence is the ultimate contradiction to hesed (God's ultimate loving-kindness). For one brief instant we cannot see the face of our Father. Through lament we push into and through (not around) the cloud. Only then do we completely reach the other side, the place where we find Jesus waiting for us.
1 comment:
wow - what power... i have often struggled w/ the idea of how "much" should i grieve as a believer - is there such thing as too much grief? love the concept that it's not the amount but the fact we must hold onto that underlying hope in Christ
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