Lamentations During a Season of Grief

“Death changes all relationships,” Terri observed.

Indeed, it does. What once was, is no more. At best, it’s slightly altered, if not all together different.

Death is a frequent visitor in my kind of work, even though my primary responsibilities focus on food and facilities.

In over 16 years of itinerant ministry, I’ve spoken at more funerals than I’ve officiated weddings. Grief is weird.

Grief isn’t linear. While we expect it to ease over time, it often catches us off guard, rekindling memories, stirring up dormant emotions, and reminding us of who and what we have lost. Grief reveals the fragility of life, showing us how delicate each thread that connects us truly is. But, grief follows no clear, straight path. Your experience is uniquely your own.

In our seasons of great lamentation, grace also finds us. It may start as a faint whisper quietly assuring us that even amidst our deepest sorrow, we are not left alone.

We are not abandoned.

Grace serves as a balm, helping us remember that while grief reshapes us, it doesn’t destroy us. Grief doesn’t kill us. However, it does transform us. Loss changes us. As we learn to carry our losses, we begin integrating them into the fabric of our lives, thread by thread, patch by patch. As we carry on, we discover moments of peace, even beauty, in the midst of our pain.

Grief is a language seldom chosen to be spoken. Somehow, it finds us and when it arrives at our doorstep, grief changes the landscape of our lives. Some days, grief feels like a weight we are destined to carry. Other days, grief is a hollow space, like an echo from deep within our soul. It shifts everything we thought we knew and invites us to rethink what life and love really mean.

Friend, it’s okay to feel the weight of your sorrow.

When life is heavy and hard to take,
    go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
    Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
    The “worst” is never the worst.

Lamentations 3:28-30 The Message

You may be told different, but know that there is no right way or timetable to grieve. Take it from someone who knows. Me.

Allow yourself to exist in this season fully. Cry out. Mourn. Remember.

While you do that, I pray you also find moments of grace that remind you that even in the darkest times, there is light waiting to break through.