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Grieving with Hope – In Grieving with Hope, Randy gives perspective and practical advice to help readers on the grieving journey, so that in time, your grief will be accompanied by joy and hope. Use the coupon code: RADIOGIFT for free shipping!
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SHAUNA: Hi, this is Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Hey Joni, I heard a very special friend of yours lost her husband recently.
JONI: That’s right. I’ll call her Rosa. She’s really struggling having lost her husband. I guess about three, maybe four months ago – they had no clue he was in danger of a massive heart failure. He appeared completely healthy; never complained of chest pain. But then one night, right before bedtime, Rosa left their room to get a drink. And when she came back, her husband was flat out, on the floor. She rushed to revive him, yelling to their three children. One of them called 911. Medics arrived within minutes, but hard as they tried, there was no heartbeat, no pulse. He was gone. And Rosa could only wail and hold and hug her children and rock. The next morning, when we got word, Ken and I immediately drove to see Rosa, to somehow bring her comfort. But [I tell you] my friend was utterly inconsolable; her grief was so enormous. And so, Ken and I just – were just there, praying, and occasionally, I quietly sang a few hymns.
Now, as I said, this all happened a few months ago. And I have to say, in that time, Rosa is no longer inconsolable. She is mourning the loss of her precious husband in a way that God would want her to mourn. Rosa though has anchored herself to the Word of God; she is holding fast to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 where the Apostle Paul says, “Dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so that you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.” Don’t you love that promise? And Rosa does, too. She’s not grieving the wrong way, without hope as if she would never see her loved one again. She is grieving [that is, Rosa is still crying; she’s still often blindsided by huge pangs of loss], but that’s to be expected.
You know, Randy Alcorn, in his wonderful little book Grieving with Hope, puts it this way: He says, “Grieving while embracing Christ’s rock-solid promise of his second coming and our resurrection and that of all who love him – that is the right way to grieve. A grieving father wept as he told me. He said, ‘Randy, I will never again hug my daughter.’ And I asked him, ‘Don’t you believe in the resurrection?’ And he said, ‘Of course.’” And Randy responds, “But the resurrection means you will hug your daughter again and again! Those who believe in the resurrection will grieve while consoling themselves that they will forever be with their redeemer and their loved ones.”
Even Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 24, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Now friend that tells me that our resurrection bodies will follow the model of Christ when he rose from the dead. And that glorious day is not far off. You know, these are the sorts of Bible passages that Rosa is pouring into her heart and into her mind. And anchoring yourself to the Bible? Believe me, it’s the right way; it is the best way to grieve. This Saturday, August 30th, is National Grief Awareness Day, and I’d love to send you Randy Alcorn’s booklet “Grieving with Hope.” So, go to joniradio.org and request your gift. It’s my present to you today. So, visit joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends