Grieving with Hope // 1 Thessalonians 4:13

This past Sunday I delivered a message based on Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes that mourners are blessed because they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). We looked at some of the Bible’s teachings about how God comes alongside us in our grief so we can move alongside someone also suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Today’s verse from 1 Thessalonians 4:13 is meaningful to me because of what the scriptures tell us about grief. We are to look forward with hope, even in grief. Why? Because Jesus conquered the permanence of the grave. Christ’s resurrection extends the promise of eternity to all those who accept Jesus as God’s Son, believe He was raised from the dead, and confess our need for salvation. We might cry in our sadness, but must trust God and place our hope in forever. So what are we to do while we grieve? Well, for starters, grieve. Let it out…don’t hold it in; otherwise, it’s like damming a river without any relief — it will eventually flood your surroundings. Making sense of grief is very helpful, too; therefore, I want to share Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief:

(1) shock: I can’t believe it!
(2) denial: it can’t be true…
(3) anger: how dare he/she/God put me through this!
(4) bargaining: if only I, or someone else, did something differently…
(5) acceptance: ok, I cannot change it, so I need to learn how to live into my new normal.

These stages are not necessarily linear. Sometimes we bounce back-and-forth between stages before finally reaching acceptance. You probably don’t realize it when you move from one stage to another, but you can sense it in hindsight. Having someone objective, or just a few steps farther down the grief path, can help you discern where you’ve been and where you are. It’s invaluable. Why is this invaluable? The stages can help you find a little hope that grief is a process…a journey, if you will…unwelcomed though it may be. Still, I want you to know that there is a reason to hope while you grieve. The pain might not always be so acutely intense. It might present as more of a dull throb. There are times when it will hurt more than others. None of that, though, invalidates our hope!

I love the account in John 11 when Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave. This is when the Lord spoke the unforgettable words, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” (v.25).” Jesus followed this up with a question, “Do you believe this?” I want to close today by asking the same question: do you believe this? I pray you do. It will give you the hope you need to grieve differently from those who have none, enabling you to face the future unafraid.