With Mourning Comes Rejoicing - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - April 21
With Mourning Comes Rejoicing
By Michelle Lazurek
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15
“Nice to meet you.”
My mother-in-law's new boyfriend greeted us at the door. It had been seven years since my father-in-law's passing, and a special friend had come into my mother-in-law's life. He was friendly; he seemed to treat my mother-in-law with kindness and respect. However, my husband and I couldn't help but think about my father-in-law.
My husband had been close to his father for most of his life. They fished together and watched football together. My father-in-law cheered my husband on as he played football in high school. Although it's nice to see my mother-in-law happy to have a companion to do life with again, it couldn't help but feel awkward.
“How are you doing?” I asked my husband. I was surprised by what he said next. “You know, it's not as awkward as I thought. It’s a little weird that it's not my father, but I'm glad she has someone to travel and do fun things with.” As we chatted with my mother-in-law and her new friend, we laughed and cried over memories of my father-in-law. Some were tears of grief, and some were joy as we all realized we were entering a new season of life. My mother-in-law did her best to move on, and we were happy for her.
Loss is always a challenging thing. Even Jesus wept upon hearing the news of his friend Lazarus passing. John 11: 33-36 says, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
On this earth, death is a natural thing that happens to all of us. But it doesn't hurt any less when it happens. Whether it is a sudden loss or something to be expected, it leaves us with profound sadness. When my husband and I visited with my mother-in-law's new friend, part of us grieved the loss of what was, and part of us rejoiced with her over the latest chapter she was entering in her life.
Even in death, there can be joy. God never wastes our pain. It's natural to grieve the loss of a loved one, especially if it's a parent or a parent by marriage. When a spouse chooses to move on and enter a new season of life with a new person, we rejoice with them. All the grief can be complicated and time-consuming at times, but we were never meant to sit and grieve forever.
We can take joy in knowing that Earth is not our destination. While we experience loss and grief here on earth, we will rejoice again when we reach heaven. We may see all the people we've lost here on earth again in heaven. And in that moment, we will rejoice. We will grieve over the life that once was and rejoice over the new heaven and earth we experience with God and his people.
Take time to grieve appropriately. Cry out to God, grieve, and get angry. Take as much time as you need; grief is not linear. When that season is over, rejoice that there's always hope. Even in the worst of situations, God can turn things around. What a mighty God we serve! What we experience as loss, God counts as a gain for himself. God is the God of the impossible. Even in the depths of our grief, he can send people our way, giving us great joy. We will have a time of sorrow, but joy will quickly follow. God exudes joy, and he wants that for his people.
Father, let us be your people who grieve appropriately. Let us mourn when it is appropriate, but let us quickly follow it with joy. Let us rejoice with those who have experienced loss but are choosing to move on in life. Let us not look upon those people with resentment but with joy, knowing that we will be reunited with the people we've lost in heaven. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/DGLimages
Related Resource: Engaging with God in a Technology-Saturated World
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