Written by Glyn Knight, Pastor of Grace Church in Morton, IL

For the past few weeks I’ve been thinking and writing about the relationship between faith and grief. Grief is like no other emotion I’ve ever observed or experienced. Think about jealously: The impact of feeling envious is usually short-lived. Think about fear: The things that cause us to be afraid are usually temporary. Grief is altogether different. Grief is felt more deeply and the feelings last longer. I think the loss of a loved one is a grief you don’t ever get over. You just find ways to carry on living as you continue to adjust to the presence of grief.

As Christians we know that we aren’t controlled by grief, although sometimes it may feel like we are. We know that as people of faith we look to God, especially in times of deep soul grief. I love the simplicity of this verse:

… for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

We walk by faith. We look to God and walk in the hope that He alone can bring. Walking by faith is the reality for every believer, every moment of every day. But I have observed that grief makes that walking harder. Grief can make it hard to trust God. The person who is experiencing deep soul grief wonders if they will ever feel normal again. Grief is such a deep emotion that it can feel overpowering, all-consuming.

I have experienced the loss of loved ones, and I have walked the path in the valley of the shadow of death with many people over the years. The emotion of grief is unique in that not only is grief deeper than any other emotion, it is also much harder to predict.

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