Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When we talk about grief, we often think about grief in relation to the death of a loved one. Which is understandable, because this is one of the forms of grief that stands out to us the most, especially since it means that someone we love deeply is no longer with us here on earth. But grief can be experienced for a whole variety of reasons, including: the loss of a relationship; the loss of a job; the loss of a pet; the loss of a hope or dream; the loss of an ability; even the loss of a planned activity or event. Which is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. In the past two months a lot of things have had to be cancelled. Vacations that were planned months, even years ago. Concerts that we pre-purchased tickets for. Family celebrations we were looking forward to. Even just the simple plan of opening up cottages or going to visit family in another province. Losing these things isn’t easy. We can’t help but feel sadness at knowing that we cannot do these things right now. Yet at the same time, I know many of us have been holding onto to hope that these cancellations and losses were for the shorterm. That by May or June, we could return to normal life. Now, it’s May, and our government has started to share ways in which some of our restrictions can be eased in the coming months. We’re able to be together in small groups outside, we can look forward to those numbers increasing, and seeing stores and other services begin to open up. But, it has also become clear that some things won’t be returning anytime soon. No mention has been made about opening our border or allowing us to travel elsewhere. The largest group size allowed so far will be 20, if outside, with social distancing. And that won’t be until June. With it came a much more real sense of how long some restrictions might be in place. I know for myself, this has made the grief all the more real to me, as I realize that some things just aren’t likely to happen this year. Like weekends at our cottage in New Brunswick. up until the four phases were released, I held onto hope that some important activities might still happen. Which makes the grief even more challenging at times. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. The truth is, from the beginning, all of us have been experiencing this form of grief. From day one, each of us have had to let go of something that was important to us. Something we had planned for or dreamed of doing. But sometimes we can find ourselves brushing these losses aside, telling ourselves that others have lost much more these days. Or we may try to convince ourselves that it wasn’t that important to us to begin with. But today, I want to encourage you to embrace your grief. To name these losses as a form of grief that does affect you. Because those losses do matter, because they mattered to you. Grief and loss is not a competition. Rather, it’s about realizing that when we lose something that we looked forward to, or something that nourishes us or brings love and joy into our lives, it matters. So for today, let yourself feel sad. Let the tears flow. Let yourself feel frustrated, even angry. But also trust in Christ, who is with us always, and who seeks to console us, whatever it is we are going through. For Christ is journeying with us through all that we are facing right now. The worries we carry but also the grief that fills our hearts. So trust in Christ, find comfort, find hope. Find peace. And know that together, in community we will find our way through to the other side. We will once again share in concerts and vacations. We will get to be with one another again. But for now, we wait, we hope. We trust in the one who is with us always.
God Bless, Rev. Tara Ann Gourson
Devotional was written by Rev. Tara Ann Gourson, May 2020.
Bideford Pastoral Charge 