Within one week, two family members went out into eternity. Death is so final. No more opportunity to speak or listen. Did I do all I could to honor God with that person? Did I behave in a way that Jesus will say, "Well done!"? Did I make good use of my time with that person to let them know I loved them, respected them, admired them as a creation of the Creator? All these questions and more add to the sadness and loss of a loved one.
Grief is a hard teacher. None of us would choose that "class"; not an elective. Always only a requirement of the lessons of life. Always a stern reminder that this is not home. Clinging to worldly relationships is a futile attempt at happiness. They will never bring peace that lasts. Christ is everything and must be sought, loved and adored with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Only believers in Him understand this. However, even believers struggle with this great void that occurs in all our lives.
That void rates different with the closeness of the person gone. But the loss is still a loss, and one of the aspects of grief is that horrible regret that we should have done this or that better. I should have spent more time with them, called them more, showed more love and as stated above, the list goes on. The verse that popped in my head as I experienced the first loss, was Romans 12:18, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
Bottom line: Treat everyone as created in the image of God and show His love in all situations. Easy? Definitely not! Sometimes we feel justified with our behavior toward those hard to love. However, God has given us a supreme example in the Gospels as Jesus shows us how it's done. We dig down deep and persevere with His power. And when any loss occurs, He gives us the peace and power to walk that path. But those issues of the heart we haven't quite learned, will be a stinging reminder to cry out to Him Who will use it for our good and our growth. Until He takes us home, we must be ever learning what He requires of us and work at it with all our heart as working for Him.
