Anyone who has experienced the loss of a child can tell you that grieving is hard, painful, and exhausting. Watching my husband grieve has been (and is) heart-wrenching. I don't know where or how our society got the idea that men aren't supposed to cry, or that tears are a sign of weakness, because it simply isn't true. I am so thankful for the Bible, for the examples it shows of how to grieve and how to respond to loss.
The honest cries and laments of David fill the pages of the book of Psalms. The commingling of Job's worship and grief is displayed like the neon lettering of a billboard. The disappointment, the anger, and the questioning of the Almighty from God-fearing men, fill the pages of the Bible from beginning to end.
I have seen my husband grieve these past 22 1/2 months, all the while giving his sorrow to the only One who can bring healing. A strong man is a man who allows himself to grieve. My husband is a man of strength. God's strength.
To all the fathers who have outlived their children, I pray God's peace and strength to you on Father's Day. May it be blessed with His love, filled with His comfort, and overflowing with His joy.
Well said....tears again.
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