Coming to terms with death takes time to process. Even when we know it is imminent and we wait through the night and into the morning, the final breath of a loved one jolts our heart, makes it stop beating - or so it feels. We need time to process this reality of death. We need time to tend to our jolted and broken heart.
Maybe it is a sacred longing that God infuses into our spirits. A longing that recognizes the truth that this life is short and only a prelude to the concert that awaits us in Heaven. A longing for things to be made right. God, according to Ezekiel 18:32, says, "I take no pleasure in the death of anyone." God hates the isolated incidents of disease, crime, or violence - anything leading to death. God hates death. God knows more than we do and is working "according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." ((Ephesians 1:11)
As we give into our grief, we can enter a time of quiet mourning:
-we can know that God is working all things - even the death of a loved one- for his ultimate glory.
-we can listen for God's still, small voice to guide us through the valley
-we can trust that joy will come, maybe not tomorrow morning, but joy will return
-we can be gentle to those around us who have little or no faith in God
-we can pray knowing God is close to us, the broken-hearted and crushed in spirit
-we can grow in our knowledge and understanding of God's grace and his mercy
We are still broken-hearted , but we have God with us, and that is when healing comes.
