When my Grandma passed away, I read the verse in 2 Peter which says, “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). As I meditated on this verse, I thought to myself, “I could live one hundred more years and walk into heaven fifteen minutes after Grandma.”
As soon as I had that thought, I had a quick vision of my Grandma in heaven, turning to see me there and saying with a big smile, “Oh! You’re here too!”
It was a small perspective of heaven but it brought me much comfort.
Death can be hard for those left behind.
Grief is very different than depression. But if we’re not careful, the enemy would happily encourage our heart to stay in a perpetual state of brokenness. And this is why the Holy Spirit nudges us to meditate on the Word of God.
God’s Word is God’s heart. It brings hope to hopelessness, light to darkness, comfort to pain, joy for mourning, and peace that passes understanding. Paul said, “Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24). Hope is the beginning of faith (Hebrews 11:1).
This is why grief without hope is dangerous.
And why the Bible says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” (Proverbs 13:12).
This is also why we have to believe that “all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” and be “persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28, 38-39).
The beautiful thing is, God understands our struggles. Psalm 56:8 says, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.” And Isaiah prophesied God’s intention long before it came to pass: “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…” (Isaiah 25:8).
We live in a hurting, fallen world but in CHRIST JESUS, we have help. He lifts us up out of the depths of grief and depression and “raises us up with Him and seats us with Him in heavenly places” “far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 2:6, 1:21). And then adds: “Death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Our tears will still flow in grief but we don’t have to have sorrow without hope.
The greatest gift God has given us is the promise of eternal life through salvation. There will be a great reunion one day when all of us join our loved ones in heaven. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
This is our hope in this life.
And it is enough for me.
In loving memory of my dearest friend Tori Jezisek Valverde (3/11/69 – 8/9/24)
