Gratitude within grief

Gratitude Within Grief

Gratitude within Grief

Finding moments of gratitude within grief brings comfort to a longing heart. Grief isn’t something that ends after a certain amount of time or a set number of years. It is something that journeys with you. It ebbs and flows. It changes in intensity, but it doesn’t leave.

My dad has been gone for 24 years. My grief for him shows up every football season. It was our thing. Every week we would bet $1 on the Vikings game. I would always take the Vikings. He would take their opponent but cheer for Minnesota.

Last week at church, I looked to the back of the sanctuary and my mind saw my niece walk in. She passed away from cancer several years ago. But, it was her. Her face. Her smile. Okay, it really wasn’t her, but my visceral reaction to seeing her was so real.

It took me few days to process it, and find the gratitude within grief. Why did I see her? Seeing her is a gift from God. I got to see her. No, I didn’t get to talk to her or touch her, but I got to see her. It was comforting. I almost missed the gift. Just like football season brings gifts of remembrance, seeing Steph was a gift of connection.

1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence. Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep. Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him. (Psalm 100: 1-4 MSG)

God gifts us with moments that remind us of the ones we have lost not to cause pain but to bring comfort. God wants to remind us that He cares about our hearts and that our loved ones are okay. When mom was close to death, the vail between this life and the next was very thin for her. She would talk about seeing dad and others that had gone before her. It brought her comfort and she was excited to be with them again.

Are you able to have gratitude within grief? Are you able to see the gifts God sends you? Share your story here and breathe life and bring hope to others.

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