Never Once

The grief of loss is such that we will all know it in the span of our lives. It will disturb everything we've once known, and shake us to the core. Pain will assail our hearts, and we will find ourselves helpless and empty-handed. That is the nature of grief. It takes no shortcuts. It has no straight path, but crossroads and corridors and forks and valleys and mountains are plenty.

There is One who bore our sins and our sorrows, who walks with us in the heartache, who leads us in the darkness and the storm.

He will never leave us, never forsake us, never abandon us.

And in the pit of deepest despair...true Hope is found. He brings purpose through the pain. And joy and sorrow dwell together. And our faith is authenticated through this process.

It's not as easy to swallow as the Gospel of Prosperity, for it seems more bitter than sweet at first taste,

but it is far more nourishing and far more valuable. More precious than gold or silver:

In suffering and pain, Christ is ever-present, and often, therein, the exceeding preciousness of the Savior of the World is found and known.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:12-13)