Honoring Those We Love

Terri texted me she was listening to 70s and 80s music to honor her sister Sheri who went to be with the Lord a year ago this Saturday.

Grief is a precocious creature. It colors everything. In the process, it deceives and it consumes the griever.

Honor, on the other hand, is a noble venture. Honor calls for courage in the face of grief, who like an anxious thief yearns to steal everything that is left from us.

In the wake of loss, we find a way to keep going. Honor allows us to do that.

Thankfully, Scripture offers up various insights to us on how to honor and remember our loved ones who have gone to be with the Lord. While the Bible doesn’t provide a specific ritual for remembrance, it does emphasize the importance of cherishing memories and honoring those who have gone before us. For us, it is imperative we remember. It is essential we honor our loved ones.

How do we do that?

Remembering their Lives

It is valuable to reflect on the life and legacy of those who have passed.

We do right when we honor the good works and contributions of our loved ones, celebrating the impact they had on our life and the lives of others.

Proverbs 31:31 ESV

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Mourning Together

The Bible acknowledges mourning as a natural and important part of our healing process. Sharing our grief with our family and friends strengthens the bonds between us and remind us of the love we shared.

Romans 12:15 ESV

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Offering Comfort to Others

By remembering our loved one and sharing their story, we may be able to comfort others who are also grieving. That which God has done for us, we can do for others. We do this out of gratitude and as part of our purpose.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Living Out Their Legacy

Honoring a loved one may also involve continuing their legacy or pursuing values they cherished. Engaging in acts of kindness, service, or dedication that reflect their values is a meaningful way to remember and honor them.

Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Hope of Resurrection

The Bible provides comfort through the hope of eternal life. In the Gospel of John, Jesus shares a promise that brings us solace and joy as we remember our loved one, knowing that death is not the end, but only the beginning of a new chapter. As believers we don’t grieve in the same way the rest of the world grieves. Through Jesus Christ, we have hope.

John 11:25-26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Friend, if you are grieving, I pray this post finds you and lends you peace and comfort. Please know that honoring our loved ones is a personal journey. What works for me may not work for you. You might go about it differently. That’s totally okay. My hope is that you find a way of keeping your loved one’s memory alive in your heart as well as in the hearts of others.

As for us, we press on. Some days are more difficult than others. A year later, things aren’t the same. Death changes everything. At times, it still doesn’t seem real. And then you pick up the phone to call only to realize there’s no one on the other end of the line.