Coping with Loss

By Jennifer Kearson  

It was a long and tiresome week and I was ready for the weekend. I thought Friday would never come. Throughout the week I had been dreaming and planning for the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. Feeling a little under the weather, I decided to sit in my room and try to relax. Around 7:10 in the evening, the phone rang and my aunt said in a quick, sounding voice, “You need to come to Waycross; you need to come to Waycross.” Curiously, I knew something was not right and I talked to my dad and he bluntly told me, “Nanny died.” Immediately, a cold chill ran up my spine and I repeated the words to myself: "Nanny died?"  Words like, “Are you sure?” “How did this happen?”  “She was never sick” wracked my brain for hours, and that night I couldn’t sleep.

Sometimes people really don’t see the love of Christ through others until there is a death or big event in one’s life. Everywhere I went people brought food, flowers, cards and their condolences. Not once did we have to lift a finger for anything, for I knew my grandmother was in good hands with our Lord even though I would never see her on earth again.

However, up until the time of the funeral, I still struggled with her loss. Every night I still would have trouble sleeping and thoughts filled my brain with death threats for me. I kept telling myself that I, or another loved one, could also die anytime, for none of us know our time or hour.

If I know God will take care of her better than we ever could, then why was I still struggling with death?  Was I wrestling with change or was I wrestling with faith? I thought to myself that maybe it was both. Change I could understand, but struggling with faith was a problem for me.

I prayed to God for comfort and understanding especially during the nights. Naturally, God comforted me and I really received my answer through a sympathy card. This card brought understanding to me, and finally, I was able to rest in peace during those frightful nights.

The words that bring comfort to my heart came from the greatest book ever written, the Bible. The scripture is 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-14 NKJV.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest your sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.”

I know death is hard, but if you come upon death and need some comfort, read these verses from the Truth and your heart too will be comforted.

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