Today we pause to honor and celebrate our sweet Laura. The sun is shining here in Hendersonville. I am torn between appreciating its warmth and begrudging it’s seemingly cruel cheeriness. But I am thankful for nice weather on the day we say, “see you later” to my friend.
I have sought quiet time this morning to talk to God and see if I can hear from Him. I stumbled upon a reading about grief and how we, as Christians, move forward when we are crushed by a blow from which we’re sure we’ll never recover. I think that we begin to move forward by lamenting. To lament means, “to express sorrow or deep grief.” But for the Christ follower, it means taking this sorrow - full of it’s “whys” and anger and fear - and laying it at the feet of Jesus. Lamenting holds the tension between our mourning and our faith that God is still good. It begs God for answers while trusting that He is sovereign. Lamenting is God’s gift to us. It shows us that God is big enough to answer our deepest questions while continuing to hold us up. Lamenting draws us near to God when it seems we can’t find our way.
We all lament today. We laugh and cry and doubt and ask. But, in the end, we will trust God’s goodness, thank Him for our beautiful Laura, and rejoice that life is but a vapor and that we will see her again in just a little while.
Jesus be near as we lament.
Kim
