Wounded. This must be how everyone feels who has lost a child. There was no visible sign of our wounds, yet our hearts hurt. We were new to grief and just wanted the pain to go away. Now that some time has passed, many of our friends have told us their own stories of the deaths of close family members.
The Bible itself is full of stories of mourning at the death of loved ones. Abraham and Isaac mourned for Sarah when she died; Joseph cried over his father Jacob’s death; Naomi grieved when her husband and two sons died; King David and Bathsheba lamented their stillborn son. And in our reading today we see even Jesus weeping at death, the death of His friend Lazarus.
Grief is a result of Adam’s fall. Because the pain of loss is a part of life, we really have no right to demand that God remove it. However, we can certainly pray for comfort (Matthew 5:4). We can pray for help too, because Jesus understands our weakness (Hebrews 4:14-16). As our wounds turn to scars, God’s grace will be enough for us (2 Corinthians 12:8-9).