The Bible not only gives us a strong precedent for the honest expression of emotions, it also invites us to be loving brothers and sisters in faith to those in deep grief. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to the people of many early churches. In the letters, he included many exhortations to love, encourage and comfort one another throughout all of life’s ups and downs.
Perhaps you are currently deep in the belly of grief. Or maybe there is a person on your prayer list at church who recently lost a spouse.The realities of loss enter into our lives in many ways. Hold tight the truth that God has created us with the capacity to feel emotions. The ability to express how we feel with God and others is not something to be avoided; it should be embraced. In all of life’s losses, know that God is near, and we are free to be completely authentic with our ever-present, ever-loving Creator.
This message is adapted from “Faith reflections: Lament in the Bible” written by Emily Carson that first appeared in the March 2014 issue of Café magazine.