The Road of Grief

Following God Through Love into Healing

By: Lisa C. Whitaker

It has been almost a year since having to say goodbye to my confidante, my friend, my mom. When once I heard her voice just about every other day, now it is silence. So many times, I’ve wanted to pick up the phone and call her to tell her some exciting news or to talk things over with her when I am feeling overwhelmed. I have even caught myself punching in her number to call before realizing that I can’t.

I have heard it said that “Grief is our consolation for loving deeply” and whoever said this must be right, for the love I shared with my mother ran deep. Perhaps this is why, a year later, the tears still come at the most unexpected times. One day, it was while I was perusing the Fall decorations in Hobby Lobby. I rounded the corner of an isle and there were the Christmas decorations. My mom loved Christmas. We had our first Christmas without her last year, but looking through the various ornaments and knowing I will celebrate another Christmas without her soon stirred my heart once again.

What is it about grief that makes it stick around for so long? Why can’t we just make a decision to be done grieving and move on? These questions have passed through my thoughts many times since saying goodbye to my mom and they have driven me to look to Scripture to find the answers. It is there, at the very beginning, that I began to understand the answer to these questions.