I was at a funeral recently of someone who had sadly passed away. The family at the service had some members who had faith of some description, but the person who had passed away and most of the mourners present didn’t have much faith to speak of.

In the service we prayed together, sang an old hymn, and shared stories. At the end of the service everyone was given a chance to say their goodbyes as they left the service and headed to the grave. As they passed the coffin they played a song by one of his favourite artists. The song is lovely, it’s an emotional song, it’s been used in a major blockbuster film……but watching the scene and listening to the Hollywood lyrics I thought;

What do you do with your grief without Jesus?

The person who had passed away was someone who had faced grief in their life, a grief that many said they never recovered from. Other family members told stories of the heavy losses they had experienced, and talked about how they weren’t sure how many more losses they could take.

I know what it is to grieve, we all do. It’s never fun. But as a follower of Jesus I know where to bring my grief. I know that I have someone who knew grief themselves, and someone who knows how to walk with me through my grief. I have someone I can trust, someone I know will never leave me or forsake me. That makes grieving a much fuller process than without Him. Even in grief I know that God is working, that He is weaving a bigger story together, and I have a part to play in that story. The certainty of that purpose helps me to understand life’s value even in the darkest moments.

But without it where do you go? Who walks with you? If everyone is perishable and limited, who can you truly trust to be with you? Who can hold our fears and replace them with faith? Who can love us unconditionally? How can we fully know that we will never be alone? i

Is all we are left with is the words and music from a Hollywood blockbuster?