Grief Has No Real Power
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Then Joseph threw himself on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. ”
Death is as real as life itself. In our society, we are very good at ignoring death. Even after more than thirty years of pastoral ministry, having sat with hundreds of people as they've taken their last breath, I remain shocked by the finality of death. One minute a person is there, no matter how non-responsive, and the next, they are gone. I believe you can experience the very soul leaving a person's body. In the moment of death, you know they are no longer with you.
I don't know what is worse, knowing you will never see them again or knowing you will never be able to talk with them again. There have been so many times, after my mother's death, that I thought of something that only she knew, and thought of calling her, then recognizing that she would never answer again.
The reality is that my life would never be quite the same. Most of my life hadn't changed. I remained a husband and father. I was still a pastor with my ongoing list of responsibilities. Yet, in the moment of her death, something radical happened. Now, neither Jill nor I have any remaining parents. She and I were now the oldest. We took the baton from my mother and became the oldest in the room. I am so bummed even my son-in-law's parents are younger! ARGH!
Each day I thank God for my faith. I do not have to "grieve as one who has no faith," nor do you. I believe the soul remains and that we will all have our place in God's heavenly kingdom one day. Now, the Bible isn't clear about whether or not we will recognize each other in heaven or whether we will even have memories of our earthly life, but we and our loved ones will continue. It makes death a lot more tolerable.
Today, think about your experiences with death. How do you grieve? How do you find your strength in recovery? What is your belief system as it relates to death and eternal life? As you formulate your understanding of these issues, you will find the strength to address death and the change it requires in your life. Pray for God to guide you through the intellectual and emotional challenges this fundamental challenge inspires. Never forget that the Triune God is at work in fulfilling the divine promise in your life and the lives of all you know. Praise God!
