January 19, 2025 – Vol. 29 No. 03
It’s Okay to Grieve
Another life lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to grieve.
We live in a world where we are encouraged to rejoice, be happy, and avoid sadness. We urge each other to look forward and let go of the past. I’ve told myself these things, taught them, preached about them, and written on them. I believe they are true. To grow in the Lord, we must “forget the past and press on to our goal.”
I also firmly believe that it is okay to grieve.
There are moments when moving forward necessitates mourning. It seems that hardly a day passes without us facing some form of loss: a date gets canceled, a friend cancels an appointment, you damage your favorite shirt in the laundry, your team loses the playoff game, or the anticipated snowfall arrives, leading to the closure of schools and businesses. Schools and businesses stay open for the day when the predicted snowfall veers away from your area. It’s perfectly okay to take some time to grieve the disappointment.
There are more significant losses that require us to spend time grieving: the death of a friend or relative, the loss of a job, the lab results not what you hoped for, your loved one has been gone for years, but you are still grieving, a relationship ending, a church disappointing you, your sin reminds you that you have failed, or you are moving far from your community of friends.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Are you grieving? It’s okay. Are you sad? It’s okay. You don’t want to mourn longer than is healthy, but it’s okay if you need to grieve.
A Norvell Note © Copyright 2025 Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.