Pain and Transformation

Jesus invites us into our pain. It’s very uncomfortable. In the one promise that has never found its way into a single one of the cute, devotional “Promises of Jesus” books is this: You will grieve. - John 16:20. Jesus doesn’t shy away from the hard things.

And yet, at the same time he blesses those who mourn. He says that they will be comforted. As Riana Shaw Robinson pointed out in her message, the future tense of “will be comforted” sometimes feels like a looooong way off. But the blessing is now. The blessing isn’t just that comfort will come one day. The blessing is that in the here and now Jesus sees you as you grieve, loves you in your sadness, is near to you in your loss.

And, especially if you’re willing to name what you grieve, there’s hope that Jesus will transform it. As the wise author once wrote:

Only the pain we name is available for transformation. The pain we do not name we will transmit to others. - Kelley Nikondeha.

What might you name to Jesus today about your grief?