The deepest pains may linger through the NIGHT but JOY greets the soul with the smile of morning. Psalm 30:5 Voice
Right after a loved one dies, the pain of loss can seem so great that you feel like you will never again feel joy or be able to smile – much less laugh. Nevertheless, it is important to fully feel this pain during the darkness of the night and embrace the presence of the Lord in the midst of the grief. It is part of grieving well and the grief being transformed into mourning.
I love this version of this wonderful verse because it shows me that no matter what I have felt during the night hours each morning I can smile:
–-The smile of a new sunrise
-The smile of a new beginning
-The smile of new opportunity
-The smile of the favor of God on my life.
Keep this list going. Find small reasons to smile and give yourself permission to do so. Your loved one does not want you to stop smiling.
The next time you are hit by a wave of painful grief relax and ride it all the way to the shore where you will discover that the sun is rising and there remain many reasons to smile.
There is no magic formula and no set time table to embrace smiling and laughter. Yet, just as certain as the reality of the sunrise every morning, joy will rise again.
Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world.
