Loss.

Two months ago today, while honeymooning with my beautiful wife, we received a message from Ben; telling us that our dear friend Jeremy Erickson had passed away.

Three days ago, while making lunch with my beautiful wife, I received a phone call from my mom; informing me that grandma Ragnhild Herset had passed away.

In the midst of the craziness that the summer of 2012 has become, I've learned a little bit about the weight, the depth, and the reality of the four-letter word loss.

Loss.

Four little letters.

One word which carries so much emotion.

We don't like it when someone dies. That's not the intended purpose of Creation. God created us for life. Yet sin has changed the course of life forever. Christ died in our place, so we might have life after death. But, we who are left must still deal with the loss of one we love.

Through the grief and mourning, four phrases have filled my mind while I've wrestled with loss.

Lament is the path we ought to walk through the pain.
Open your heart to those mourning alongside you.
Sit in the reality of the loss instead of avoiding what is to be processed.
Share sweet memories with friends and family who are tasting the bitterness of loss.

As I've dealt with loss for the first time, the learning curve has been steep.

The heaviness has tried to hold me down.
In the depths it has been dark.
Reality doesn't seem so real.

But, dealing with loss has brought be back to the cross. In the hopeless feelings surrounding death, glimpses of hope come when I'm with Jesus.

Seeing the faces of friends and family dealing with the same death, I've gleaned wisdom from others; I'm learning how to lament. My heart has been opened to people who deeply care. Seeing the need to battle my natural tendency to become more and more busy, God has helped me process the pain while stopping to simply sit. Sweet moments of laughter flow during times where memories are shared.

Before Jer went Home, he wrote a lot for us who were going to remain here. In a blog post on March 17th, 2012 titled Lament: God-Ward Grief Jer wrote the following:

"Along the way we find that lament is one of the most direct paths to the true praise we know we have lost. For in lamenting God’s absence, we come to recognize his presence; in lamenting the pain of death, we come to the hope of resurrection. Lament in the hands of Jesus becomes more than the path to worship; it is the path of worship, and by it, the Lord is praised."

While we journey through this life, we don't know how many days we will live.

Whether you've been there or not, understand the possibility of the inevitable.

Death brings loss.

When the Lord calls someone Home to be with Him, there is a bright celebration taking place while; here there is a dark time of mourning over our loss.

By God's grace we have hope.

We may learn to lament.
We can take the risk of opening our hearts.
We can stop to sit in the reality of it all.
We share memories with others.

Living in the shadow of loss brings us a little closer to the Light of Life, that is Jesus Christ.