Anchorage: The Storm of Loss | Part 7 of 8Smakprov

# Death and Grief Coping with the loss of a loved one is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. It’s impossible to say which is more difficult, when you lose them unexpectedly or when you see them slowly die over a prolonged illness. But neither of those is easy for sure. The question that remains is what do you do in the aftermath? How do you grieve? The way this world grieves is different than in a Kingdom mindset. Society grieves without hope. There is a sense of permanence in loss. But as believers, we must stand apart. We are not hopeless. The death that we experience in this world is surely not final because Jesus rose up from the dead on the third day. Hope may sound like a weak term in this world. An army general once said in a TV debate, “You cannot win wars with hope.” That is true, because the hope that this world has to offer is hope in the literal meaning of the term. But the hope that we have as sons and daughters of God, is an assurance! What God has done for us gives us a hope that is beyond the worldly sense of the term. The faith that we have in God is what propels this hope, and that is our assurance. Just like we read in the book of Hebrews, faith is the assurance of things hoped for! ## Reflection If you are grieving loss today, or that you are too weak to carry this burden, cast your cares on to Jesus. He cares for you. Put your trust in Him, for He will never fail you. Ask yourself today, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” Remind yourself, saying, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him; my Savior and my God.”