When Hearts Break
There is no easy way to describe the reality of grief. When someone we love is taken from us, it feels like the world tilts off balance. It can come suddenly or after a long struggle, but either way, the heart is never quite ready.
Today I learned of the loss of a young man, only twenty-three years old. His life was precious, and yet his battle with alcoholism took him too soon. His family, especially his sister who is my close friend, is now left carrying the weight of absence.
What do our hearts go through when loved ones die?
They ache. They question. They replay memories and wonder why. They break open in ways that feel unbearable. This is the reality, and pretending otherwise does no one any good.
But in that breaking, something else can happen too. The heart that is broken is also the heart that can be touched most deeply by love. We cry because we loved, and love has not ended. Even when life is cut short, love does not die. It changes form, it takes root in memory, it whispers through faith.
Our Christian hope is that death does not have the final word. Christ has gone before us, and in Him, even the darkest loss is not the end of the story. The tears are real, but so is the promise of eternal life.
If you are grieving, know this: it is okay to hurt. It is okay to ask questions. It is okay to feel broken. And yet, even here, God is present. He gathers the broken pieces, holds them gently, and begins to shape something new.
Tonight, I pray for every grieving family. I pray especially for those who lose someone too young, too soon. May you know the comfort of God’s presence and the truth that love, once given, is never lost.
Always Toward the Light.
— John Henry