Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
ADVENT HOPE: FROM MOURNING TO MORNING
HOPE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR GRIEF
Thursday, December 1st
Mourning: the act of sorrowing
Morning: dawn; the time from sunrise to noon; a period of first development; beginning
This year, several of our friends will be spending their first holidays without a loved one. Many of us will continue to miss someone special every year. Our grief would be even more unbearable without the hope of an eternal reunion one day! This is another gift of our Advent Hope: through the words and resurrection of Jesus, God promises that we will one day live together in love and joy for all of eternity.
In the days before his death, Jesus tells his disciples,
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:1-3 NRSVUE)
Our mourning will one day turn into morning, the dawning of a new day, a new beginning!
But while we wait in hope for that glorious time, what else might we do to honor our loved ones and ease our grief?
We look to the Advent Hope we find in the way we have experienced Jesus.
~ We are able to know and love Jesus today because his stories have been shared with us, and especially because his spirit remains with us.
We can do the same with the dear ones we are missing. We can recognize and pass along their gifts and stories that remain with us. How did these loved ones forever change our hearts? What lessons did they teach us, what insights did they give us? What are our favorite memories, our tales to recall and reshare? How do we feel their presence with us today? We can cherish and hold their eternal presence with fond gratitude.
~ We can remember, honor, and exemplify Jesus today through our lives of loving service.
And we can do the same for our beloved saints. Today can be a new morning, a new beginning, as we choose to embrace the endearing qualities of our loved ones, carry their spirit with us, and live each day fully and gratefully. In our love for Jesus, we try to live as he would have us live; how would our loved ones want us to live? How might we continue their goodness through our own loving service? Which of their qualities do we want to embrace and emulate? The lives of our loved ones are now eternally new, and we can honor them by living ours in their light.
There will always be a resurrection. There will always be the dawning of a new day. The Advent Hope given to us through Jesus – gifts of eternal presence and fresh beginnings – can gently transform our grief from mourning into morning.
Definitions found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Bible verses taken from https://www.biblegateway.com/
Photo by Karen
Simply Soul Searching 
Some say that I should mourn the life
that I know can never be,
growing old with my dear wife,
eggnog at the Christmas tree,
but there’s something I have learned,
that love of self is an illusion;
survival is a thing that’s earned,
and sentiment, a fell intrusion.
My heart matters not a whit,
my tears steam upon the fire,
memories are need be quit
with nostalgia’s sweet desire.
Through the years, ‘Nam bell doth ring,
“Don’t mean nothin’, not a thing.”
This isn’t nihilism; the sentimentality that calls to me, especially in this season, obscures the daily fight to find meaning in what I HAVE. What is lost, it’s gone. God holds my tears; I have to trust Him with my memories, and keep moving forward.
As Satchel Paige said, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
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Of course, I cannot fully understand all you are facing and feeling, but I do understand what you are conveying today. Thanks always for sharing your journey. ❤
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Karen, I guess it’s this, that tears for a future lost (which are a strong temptation) can only weaken my resolve to push myself past the pain, and the abject fear of pain to come.
And I have to push on, for Barb’s sake. I’m still a help to her; she’s told me that my attitude has showed her how to banish despair, and to look to the future, even though it won’t be shared, with joy.
And that last comes back ’round to what I find as an implicit part of the Advent message that the pain in birthing a new life, a new Creation, is but a passing thing, overshadowed by hope and grace and glory.
At least, I hope so.
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Amen, my friend.
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Karen, may I have your permission to use the poem in my initial comment in my blog (with a link back to this post, of course).
Barb would like to co-write a post on my blog, on this topic.
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Oh of course you can! I appreciate that you checked but it’s yours – and it’s so meaningful that it should be shared. I truly appreciate the link, too. Thank you!
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