Thursday, August 7, 2014

A Stunningly Beautiful Essay From Commentary: Why Grief Can Exist Alongside Hope

This is absolutely beautiful. 

This essay is one of the reasons why I write.

Thank you, Peter Wehner for an extraordinarily human and moving essay.

"And yet even in the midst of valleys and heartache, we believe God is present. The notion that joy and peace can transcend circumstances, that there is a reality beyond our senses and that there are blessings to be found even in mourning, were things that had resonance with me. I came to believe that the Lord can redeem and restore all things, including areas of brokenness."

"Death is not the way things were meant to be. But it is, for now, the way things are."

"That doesn’t make accepting it any easier. But here’s what does: Finding individuals who, in the face of a terrible ordeal, choose to trust God and offer their fears to God; who are dignified and transparent in recounting their journey; and who, when facing the prospect of death, can still say (and mean) that “everyday has always been an opportunity for attentiveness, gratitude, and living into God’s call” and admit to having much less of a desire to “seize the day” and a greater desire to welcome it with all it’s twists and turns, surprises and disappointments, moments of delight and sorrow."

"To live joyfully and faithfully, come what may."