Yesterday marked two months since our dear Jona’s home-going. His maternal grandmother (my own dear mother) went Home twelve years ago on May 31; June 18 was her birthday...
We are sorrowing – yet not without hope...
Some may ask: Is it right for a Christian, one who is genuinely trusting Christ for eternal salvation, to grieve – to cry?
I raise the question here because this blog has been a means of chronicling our extended family’s sorrow and because in this very real area of life on a fallen planet, we desire to seek and act according to what God reveals in His Word, the Bible.
This question and many others like it will undoubtedly lead to profitable, long-term study; but some thoughts come immediately to mind:
We are sorrowing – yet not without hope...
Some may ask: Is it right for a Christian, one who is genuinely trusting Christ for eternal salvation, to grieve – to cry?
I raise the question here because this blog has been a means of chronicling our extended family’s sorrow and because in this very real area of life on a fallen planet, we desire to seek and act according to what God reveals in His Word, the Bible.
This question and many others like it will undoubtedly lead to profitable, long-term study; but some thoughts come immediately to mind:
- Christ Himself, our greatest and ultimate example, shed tears at the gravesite of His friend, Lazarus. Undoubtedly, there were multiple reasons for His tears, but those immediately surrounding Him saw those tears as evidence of His grief: “See how He loved him!” (John 11)
- Paul’s encouragement to believers in Thessalonica that “you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope” implies that we do, in fact, grieve. However, our sorrow – in contrast to that of those who have no eternal hope – finds comfort in God who is our ultimate hope. (I Thess. 4)
- I, personally, find it interesting that our Savior does not take away our tears when He saves us from the penalty of our sins; instead, He waits until one day when we are in eternity with Him – when “there will no longer be any death, [or] mourning, or crying, or pain” – to “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes...” (Revelation 21)
- In a passage rich with instruction for overcoming evil, we are commanded as believers in Christ to “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12)
- Godly leaders of the past (on whose shoulders we are privileged to stand) recognize tears as part of this earthly pilgrimage. Included in an earlier post is an excellent quote: Do not waste your sorrows.
1 comment:
There is nothing wrong with tears. I believe God allows us to shed them to release our pent up emotions and it actually brings relief when we can cry.Not only that, but others see us as real human beings when we can express our emotions openly without fear.
Then when others hurt and need to cry, we can truly let them cry and don't even need to say a word - just love them and hug them and let them kn ow it's okay.
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