Grief: Being Present to the Process in Hope
“Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears” – Hebrews 5:7 Looking into heaven, Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Ephphatha,” which means, “Open up.” – Mark 7:34 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”- Matthew 5:4
Grief is inevitable because loss and disappointment are inevitable. Again this week we look to Jesus’ experiences of the emotion of grief to answer the question, “how do we let grief heal us rather than devastate us in the long run?” Jesus sighs, cries, laments, even groans but never lets sorrow hinder his passion for life. And he responds to other’s grief in ways that can help us help each other.