Session 5

How to be ThankFULL in the midst of grief

From How To Be ThankFULL: A 7-Day Devotional

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With death comes grief. It’s painful when loved ones die because it feels like a piece of our hearts is torn away and buried with them. 

When we’re in the midst of that kind of grief it’s difficult to imagine ever being whole again. But there is a way to ease our grief and mend our broken hearts. That way is called thankfulness. 

What do Christians have to be thankful for in the midst of grief? Hope. Hope lives in our hearts and brings us comfort. 

The hope that comes from the Lord is not wishful thinking, it is a promise. It is a promise that death is not the end of the story. It is a promise that when Jesus returns, all believers — dead and alive — will be reunited, never to suffer or die again (1 Peter 1:3-4). We can be thankful we have this hope. 

Hope can heal broken hearts

People can grieve in two ways, with hope or without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Grief without hope leads to despair (Proverbs 13:12). But we have a living hope that comforts our hearts. 

It is the hope that we will see that loved one again because Christians who die do not cease to exist. They merely change locations. Our loved ones are absent from their bodies, but they are present with the Lord where they are experiencing pleasure and fullness of joy (2 Corinthians 5:8 and Psalm 16:11). 

Hope can heal broken hearts. While we wait for the time of that wonderful reunion, being thankful for our future hope and our past memories bring healing to us now.  

Reflect:

• Are you mourning a loved one? Tell God how you feel. Let His presence in this moment and His promises for the future to comfort you.
• Are you sure you will spend eternity in heaven? There’s no better time than now to call out to Jesus and give your life to Him.
• Are you sure your loved ones will spend eternity in heaven? What is your next step when it comes to your relationships with friends and family who might not know Jesus?