When I look at my three-year-old, I often think of my own father. The quiet, contemplative looks I often see in my child remind me of the reflective, serious nature of my dad. I take comfort knowing that it is my love as a parent and daughter and the love of the members of my community of faith that transcend the loss of his presence in my life; for it is love that bears and endures all things.
When we lose a loved one, God’s will for us is to find a way to endure such loss through our faith.
Death is an inevitable part of life, and I believe the love of God helps bear the weight of tragedy, because although it is deeply heartbreaking, losing a loved one should remind us that we are called to be faithful witnesses. Part of that faithful witness is loving one another through all life’s stages, including endings.
“Losing a loved one” was excerpted from the All Anew devotional coloring book produced by Women of the ELCA and Gather magazine. Today on the third Sunday after Epiphany, we remember Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe, witnesses to the faith.
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