For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:2-4
Jesus was acquainted with grief. Grief is one of the strongest and most mysterious emotions one can experience. It is not easy to deal with. Those who love much grieve much. The ‘curse’ has caused such heartache and loss in this world. Sorrow happens when you know how it actually could be but the current situation is far from it. Sorrow happens when you love someone so greatly you experience pain and loss when they do. Sorrow can be from an empathetic heart who feels the other’s sorrow and loss.
One of the lessons God can give a person about unconditional love is through a pet, especially a loved dog. The loss of that pet can touch a person in the deepest ways. We are creatures designed to receive and give unconditional love. Obviously dogs do it better than we do, and the lessons of love stare us in the face every time we come home after being gone. Dogs will greet you happily and joyfully whenever they see you. But it’s easy to learn to give unconditional love when you receive it so much from that pet. Sure they get in trouble, and their guilt is SO obvious upon them, and mostly they are genuine in their sorrow towards you, but they are also easy to forgive. Why? What is it about that relationship that is so different than most of our human relationships? Could it be our stubbornness to hold a grudge? Could it be we always think we’re right, or justified in our stance or actions? But a dog only knows the happy relationship has been damaged and wants to make it right. We can learn from dogs about relationships. We may have ‘said’ nothing untruthful but it was with malice or spite and that hurt the other person — and we stubbornly stand our ground and say “We spoke the truth, deal with it.” Yet — the dog wants the emotional relationship healed. They just want our love… and food (lol). When we face the possibility of losing that believed family pet — the grief almost begins immediately. Why? The depth that pet sits in our heart. Unconditional love is by far the most powerful force in the universe.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8
Jesus loves us more than we love Him. Go to the Greek (I use Biblehub) and study the encounter on the beach between Jesus and Peter after Jesus’ resurrection. (John 21) Jesus will meet us where we are — and wants us to learn to love like He does which is far greater than the way we do at this time (if we are honest with ourselves).
I know Jesus grieves. So much of His own are hurting now — so deeply. I know He longs to bring us all home, to be united with us .. forever, together. But He wants us to love as He loves His family. Do we love one another like He does?
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35
We need to love His family like He does and realize that when we love them we are loving Him.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40
What’s the solution and healing for crippling grief? Love. Unconditional love. God’s love. Allowing His love to enter the deepest part of our soul and heart. Love is eternal.
Don’t belittle someone’s grief. It is a sign of the depth of their heart. Grief is a part of love.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ….a time to weep,….a time to mourn, Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:25-27