Good Grief!

Grief is intensely personal. And usually it’s overwhelming.

Last November was grief upon grief in my life. All in the same week a good friend buried his father after a brief illness, a local family buried their teenage son and then, unexpectedly, my mother passed away. The next week a dear friend buried her brother.

It was such an intense month that I needed a little time before I revisited my grief. This week I took the time to walk that way again and process my grief a little more.

“So hold on just a minute. Where’d you get the title for this column?”

From the comic pages--but stay with me for a moment and it will make some sense.

Without knowing it, Charles Shultz’s character, Charlie Brown, teaches us something valuable about grief. One of Charlie Brown’s favorite exclamations is “Good Grief!” And as a fan of the comic strip, I have often quoted him.

As I thought about it, I tried to remember where else I’d heard that idea besides Charlie Brown. It was in the Bible.

The Bible says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.” Then it adds, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”

In his book, “Crazy Love,” Francis Chan writes, “We’ve all been shocked to hear about or watch someone we know pass on from this life. Even as you read this, faces and names are probably coming to mind. It’s good to think about those people in your life, and also to think about death.”

Why? Because as Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” If mourning drives us to God, then grief has a good effect--because, in the end, we all need him.

Mourning helps put our life in perspective. It makes us think about life’s brevity and whether we are spending our life on things that are worthwhile. Grief also makes us think about our relationship with God. In him we find eternal consolation.

It was only as I turned in my grief to the one the Bible calls “a man of sorrows” that I found comfort for my soul. When Jesus died on the cross, we’re told he “carried our sorrows.” That means he took the full force of death and separation from God so we wouldn’t have to.

Other religions leave you to face death and God on your own merits. Only Jesus Christ offers to walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death so you will “fear no evil.” Only Jesus Christ offers to stand by your side at God’s judgment and claim you as one of his own.

Through faith in Christ, the Bible says we receive the free gift of eternal life. And once you know your eternity is secure, you’re free to focus on serving God and others.

If you are grieving today, let your grief make you better and not bitter. Consider your life in the light of eternity. Most of what you do in life will be forgotten when you’re gone, but in Christ you can make an impact on this world with eternal results.

Listen to one of my mother’s favorite proverbs and ponder its truth: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

So the next time you hear someone exclaim, “Good grief!”—stop and think about why it’s true. Then ask them if they know what they just said. If not, fill them in. You just might be doing them an eternal favor!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!