“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4 (NASB)

In reflecting this morning on the death of actress Carrie Fisher, and of her mother Debbie Reynolds, who passed away the very next day, I was thinking of their families and the inexplicable grief they must undoubtedly be experiencing during this time.

When you think about it, the degree of grief we feel over the death of those we love is directly commensurate to the degree of our love for them.

You see, the truth is that apart from love there is no such thing as grief. It is the proverbial two-edged sword.

We grieve because we love.

It is the same way with God when it comes to our sin.

God grieves over that which and whom He loves.

“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” – Isaiah 53:3 (NASB)

The depths of grief God feels over our sin is directly connected to the unfathomable depths to which He loves each of us.

Likewise we, too, should grieve over our sin because of our love for Him. God provided tangible proof of His love for us by sacrificing His only Son (John 3:16) so that we, who are innately unlovable, might know what it is and means to be loved by the God who created us and who sent His only begotten Son to die in our place.

Conversely, tangible evidence not only of our love for God but our belonging to Him, is we are grieved in the depths of our heart when we sin against Him.

To those who are truly the redeemed of Christ, grief and love are inseparable with respect to our relationship with Him.

So, examine your own heart and consider, just between you and God, whether or not your professed love for Him also encompasses grieving over your sin.

Humbly in Christ,

Darrell

Image credit:
vimooz.com

Related:
Yes You Can Die of a Broken Heart – dailymail.com
Grief and Loss (podcast) – The Regular Reformed Guys
Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds to Have Joint Mother-Daughter Funeral – ABC News