Grief: Genesis 35:16-21
There is a great blessing to God’s ability to use life to pull us along when grief seeks to take over. During grief, life looks bleak. It can be hard to see through grief. If we are not careful, we can get lost in the pain of grief. Grief can make life hard to keep going.
In Genesis, Rachel conceives again. Since Rachel had only given Jacob one son – the least amount of any of Jacob’s wives – the day Rachel conceived was likely a joyous one. Nobody could have guessed that day was the beginning of the end of her life.
It’s always interesting to see the Bible talk about death. Death comes and goes. It happens. Every person who has lived on this planet prior to the current generation died. The Bible does not make a big deal about the event regardless of the person. From the kings of Israel to Moses to Abraham to the forgotten exiles in Babylon, the Bible makes mention of the event and moves on. God’s story takes note of the event but continues.
This is not a reason to ignore the death process. This moment caused Jacob pain. Pain was a very real process for Jacob and his son Joseph. Life changed. The woman he worked fourteen years to marry would no longer walk with him.
Jacob’s story continues. He has a family to tend. He has a God to follow. He has flocks and herds to manage. God has given him a new child that needs nurtured and protected. Life may give him a moment to mourn; but it isn’t going to sit around and wait for him.
This position feels callous, but grace drives reality. Because life continues, things pull our focus off our grief. There are moments to be managed. When life moves forward, it pulls us away from our desire to dwell upon our grief.
Grief is real, and it should be honored. My father died a decade ago after a substantial fight against Alzheimer’s Disease. I still miss his guidance and his willingness to listen to me. There are moments I’d love to show him the latest piece of furniture I make or talk about the relationships I cultivate with my students. My memories of my father are now happy because life pulled me out of my grief and allowed me to continue.
This is a blessing that comes from the hand of our Father, the same God who welcomed Rachel in death and allowed Jacob to move forward. Those who die around us merely pass from one life to the next. When my life is over, there will be people who mourn for a time. Life will pull them out of grief and before too long people will remember me as God welcomes me into the next life. There is a great blessing to God’s ability to use life to pull us along when grief seeks to take over our life.
