¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 NIV

We live under a steady stream of tragic news. Daily we hear of horrors like unjust wars, and mass shootings. We’ve just barely emerged from a global pandemic. This is to say nothing of the more personal sufferings that touch each of our lives–the sicknesses and sorrows that are close to home. How do we even begin to navigate our hearts through these waters? We need to learn what it means to grieve with hope.

My struggle is that I don’t grieve well. I move on from my emotions quickly. I don’t give myself space to express my feelings. Sometimes, I even purposefully try to bury and compartmentalize the pain. I drown out the noise of sorrow with whatever does the trick at offering sufficient distraction. Yet, all of that grief remains deep inside my soul and yields symptoms of a broken heart. I’m impatient, anxious, and angry. These symptoms show an unaddressed grief. I really just need to weep.

Similarly, I also don’t hope well enough. If hope is fixing my gaze on the redemptive hand of God over the story, then my eyes don’t always look high enough. I become short-sighted. I see only what is right in front of me. I forget that God is telling a bigger story that has more redemptive turns to come than I can even begin to fathom.

The story of Lazarus is instructive on grieving with hope (John 11). Jesus arrives at the funeral of his friend Lazarus. His other friends Mary and Martha are already grieving deeply. Then, we read Jesus’ reaction. He weeps. His tears show how deeply He loves. Jesus teaches us the right response to the pains of this world: tears.

Have you wept over your sorrows recently? Have you given yourself space and time to let out your emotions? I encourage you to weep friend. Weep for what hurts you. Weep for what you loved that is lost. Weep for what is gone and won’t return. Weep for your own sorrows. Also, remember to weep with those who weep. Grieve what you’ve been avoiding grieving. Grieve so that your heart stays soft in the midst of a tragedies.

Jesus wept.

John 11:35 NIV

Weep with those who weep.

Romans 12:15b ESV

Yet, we do not grieve without hope. After Jesus wept he got up and demonstrated that the end of every story is firmly in His hands. Death doesn’t get the final word. He does. He spoke to the dead body of Lazarus with power unique to the Son of God. Lazarus came back.

Lazarus’ resurrection was a sign demonstrating the identity of Jesus. He is the Savior of the world. In His name there is resurrection hope. Everyone who trusts in Him will be saved from sin and death. We are promised eternal life in His name. Yes, our hope is in the mighty name of Jesus–our resurrected Lord. He will not disappoint us.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”

John 11:25 NIV

Where is your hope today? Lift your eyes to Jesus. Trust Him more fully today. Let your grieving soul be anchored by the knowledge that Christ gets to write the final chapter of every story. Hold fast to this as you wait for redemption. The day will surely come. The ending will be good.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 ESV