Navigating Mental Challenges After LossSample

Choosing the Present Over the Past

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5b, ESV)

Grief lingers. Nights stretch long, and the weight of loss can feel unbearable. Yet God promises morning. Psalm 30:5b reminds us that joy can return, even after a season of weeping. This joy doesn't erase sorrow. It meets us quietly, softly, like sunlight through a window. It doesn't demand that we forget; it invites us to live fully while carrying what we've lost.

Joseph, a young man in the Old Testament, was intimately familiar with hardship. His brothers betrayed him, leaving him in a pit to die. Later, he was falsely imprisoned. Yet God turned his story. Joseph named his son Ephraim, declaring, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Joseph didn't deny the pain; he discovered that even the harshest soil can produce fruit. His life reminds us that suffering can coexist with hope, and that God can cultivate beauty even amid adversity.

Modern lives echo this truth. Actor Liam Neeson faced unimaginable loss when his wife passed. The world assumed he'd "moved on" too quickly, but grief is not a public performance. Sometimes, moving forward means taking deliberate steps to live fully and quietly, while carrying the weight of what we've lost.

For me, speaking about my son initially helped. Sharing his name, telling stories, acknowledging the pain, it mattered. Soon, I realised I needed to live in the present. I didn't want to remain stuck in the moment of his passing or memories of him. I tried to embrace unfolding life, celebrate small joys, and create new memories. Gradually, laughter returned, hesitant and fragile, yet holy.

Living in the present doesn't mean forgetting the past. It means remembering with gratitude, not agony. It means trusting God to bring fruit in the midst of our affliction. It means choosing hope, joy, and life, even when grief remains a part of the journey.

Reflection Questions

• Are you permitting yourself to feel joy again, even in the presence of sorrow?
• How might gratitude transform the way you remember?

Prayer

Lord, thank You that joy still finds me. Even in the ruins, You plant something new. Teach me to embrace the present with courage and live with a heart open to Your healing. Let laughter be holy again. Amen.