Weeping hearts are weary in my part of the world tonight. A month ago, our community faced a shocking loss. A young loss. An out-of-order loss. He was only 51. His parents were not supposed to outlive him. He was supposed to grow old with his wife. Raise his boys. Enjoy grandkids and retirement. Instead, his wife finds herself a young widow. His boys are fatherless. His parents lost one of their babies, and his brothers are now three instead of four.
Much like the birth of a relationship or a baby, the birth of grief is measured in hours, days, weeks, months, and years. The milestones are somber and stained with bitter tears. Hope is buried underneath the shock of coming face to face with mortality. Weeping hearts bounce uncontrollably between regret, memories, and shattered dreams. Bodies may carry on with the daily rituals of sleeping, eating, working, paying bills, and raising families, but the loss lacerates the heart. The only option is to put one heavy foot in front of the other on the long, winding road to accepting the unacceptable. The flood of tears may subside and eyes may dry, but hearts will always weep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bearing witness to another's grief is a sacred undertaking. As a Christian, I believe we will be whole in heaven, perfectly content in eternity, and reunited with our maker and each other. But it doesn't stop my heart from weeping this side of heaven because death is final, and grief is the unavoidable aftermath. Whether you believe in God and heaven or not, the terrible reality is that immortality is a myth. Souls may live on in another realm, but not with those remaining here on earth, their hearts weep. Despite my own fresh grief intermingled with the stirrings of past grief, I want nothing more than to take away everyone's pain, to bear their grief for them because I know what is coming. If I could I would snap my fingers or wiggle my nose and make it so, but it just doesn't work that way.
One of the songs we sang at the funeral last week was called "Rest" by Matt Maher. There is nothing weeping hearts need more than rest. Rest from wondering why. Rest from wondering what could have been. Rest from missing someone so much.
May those grieving tonight find rest for their souls and weary hearts in the One who begs us to rest in Him. Lord have mercy.
