when sorrow and joy meet

In the past month, I have lost a young friend, and my Pappaw. I rejoice in knowing they are with the Lord, but I still mourn their passing. 


These trials have made me think about how Christians should mourn the death of other Christians. I believe grief is an appropriate response. After all, even Jesus mourned the death of Lazarus, though he knew it was not permanent. When we grieve, we feel a mixture of sorrow and joy. This can confuse us, because we don't feel like those emotions can exist at the same time. However, they are not mutually exclusive. We are sorrowful that our loved one is no longer here with us on earth, but we also feel joy in knowing they are with the Lord. We might feel guilty about feeling both, and try to latch on to one emotion or the other, but this is not how God designed it to be. Sorrow and joy are meant to work together in mourning. When the two mingle it produces a sense of wonder at just how great God is. This is where the mingling of sorrow and joy is meant to take us. 


Let us use our grief as an opportunity to make God great in our eyes and in the eyes of those around us.

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