#52 A Grief Observed. "Thoughts from the Back Deck..."


Ephesians 1:18
"...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..."

This week, there was another funeral for a young person. 16 years young. A short time ago, we had a funeral for a two-year-old, and before that, a funeral for three children, all under 17, killed in an auto accident.

Honestly, as I sit on my back deck, this has been a tough week. Tough for the community. Tough for families. Tough for the church. Tough for staff. Tough. It's just plain tough!

Memories and dreams. These are shared at funerals. We talk about our loved ones when they pass. No matter the age, those memories are gifts and treasured. 

Very often, as the day of the funeral passes and the weeks keep turning, there is a tendency to think we are forgetting our loved ones who have passed. It is a part of grief. We look through photos on our phone or the old printed photos in a drawer or album and think to ourselves:  
"I wish I had a clearer picture." 
"I wish I had more pictures of my parents."
"I don't have any good picture of my husband." 
"None of these pictures catches my wife's smile." 

One of the books C.S. Lewis wrote is titled: "A Grief Observed". It is a type of self-reflection diary of his journey through the grief over the death of his beloved wife. He wrote late in his book that none of the photos were in focus of his wife, but as time passed, he realized the photos were in perfect focus. It was his tears that blurred the pictures. 
The "eyes of our hearts" sometimes make it difficult as we grieve, for not all we see, is seen clearly.

As a Christian, we grieve for loved ones who die. Memories flood our thoughts, but memories ultimately don't bring comfort on their own. Memories tied with...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..."

It's the eyes not focused on our loss and the memories of our loved ones alone but the eyes that look to Jesus and know the hope we desire of seeing our loved ones again is firmly planted in our savior, Jesus.

But it is more than that. The eyes of our hearts enlightened is not just about being with those who have gone to be with Jesus. Our greatest joy will be that we are with Jesus!

Peace out,
Andy
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