I received a couple of little books after experiencing the untimely death of my grandson in 2011. A dear friend gave me “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young. My home church gave me a book on grief after a Blue Christmas service for grieving families. And the pastoral care ministry sent me a little booklet from “Our Daily Bread” that includes a month’s worth of devotions for people going through the grieving process.

These were all very good tools to help me focus on the hope, love, and blessings that remained in my life. It was a difficult time, but I knew that my grandson was safe in the arms of Jesus and that my world and life would continue.

Life hurts. There is no way around it. Heartache will invade our lives. Sadness has a way of consuming us. Grief can overtake us. Yes, life hurts.

But my gracious, heavenly Father has something to offer. His Word offers hope. His Word offers peace. His Word offers release. As we place all of our hurting into God’s hands, we open our hearts to the healing process. We allow His precious gifts to fill the empty places of our hearts.

You’ve probably read many verses of Scripture about God’s graciousness over the past few days. They’ve been seen in posts on Facebook, Twitter, and even Pinterest. I pray that you’ve found comfort in the Word of God, because that is where I find all that I need.

I love the books of 1^st and 2^nd Peter. They are words written by a man who had seen great hardship and heartache of his own. His life had been spontaneous and turbulent. And yet, we read these two books written by one who came to know the difference Jesus could make in a life. A life changed by the Holy Spirit. A life changed by knowing God’s power.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 – NIV)

You see in the midst of our pain, trials, and grief, we can lean upon the divine power of God and His Holy Spirit. This power is everything we need for life and godliness. I find great comfort in knowing that I can rely on God’s power when I need it most.

On the day my grandson died, God continued to remind me of such power. He reminded me of the source of my strength. In my weakest moment that day, I knew that God’s grace was enough. I knew that it was only through Him that I would find the strength to continue (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Another passage of Scripture that is encouraging to me is also found in 2 Corinthians. This passage assures us that even when life’s crushing blows seem more than we can handle, we are not alone. We have Jesus and His power within us.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-10 – NIV)

My dear friend, there is no reason to go through our suffering on our own. God desires to be in the midst of our pain. More than that, He wants to take it away and heal our hearts. Please don’t let another day go by without asking Him to be your source of strength.

I miss my grandson, there is no denying it. But I know where he is and who he is with. My Redeemer, Jesus. And until the day I see Jesus (and Archer) face to face, I’ll continue to rely on God for my strength, my godliness, and my life.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna

For more information on my view of heaven, please read my blog post at https://fullmeasureofjoy.com/?p=345.