Bereavement During the Holidays

Many families experience bereavement during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Currently, the Moss family (Joe died), the Wesley family (Pastor Kerry died), the Evans family (Tony’s father died and his wife, Lois, is gravely ill), and the Thompson family (John is slated for hospice care) are all experiencing a touch of bereavement. Perhaps you are too or know of someone who is. It seems that this time of the year is extra hard on families whose loved ones die or are terminally ill. I can empathize with them. What helps is staying mindful that our God is in control and relying on Him for comfort and strength. As it says in Psalm 100:4, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name” (for Thanksgiving Day). For Christmas, stay mindful that “For what the (Mosaic) Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh”Romans 8:3). Those scriptures dispel my narrow perspective of those fall and winter holidays because everyday I’m thankful to God for Jesus. May the Holy Spirit give a fresh reminder of these truths to all Christian families experiencing bereavement. Blessings!