Grief can often feel like a bully. It’s not uncommon for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one to be overtaken by waves of sorrow when they least expect it. Sometimes it’s a simple sight or smell that brings us to our knees; we’ll find ourselves head-in-hand, weeping as if the loss happened afresh. These moments are a stark reminder of the brokenness and pain that ravishes this world, and they expose the tender scars which emboss our bereaved, broken hearts.

When grief invades our day, it’s disorienting. For a moment, we’re thrown off balance by it: tears blur our vision, our posture crumples, and all other thoughts are doused by a jet-stream of pain. Grief floods our memories as blood to a wound—we loved, we lost, and we’re made to feel the reality of it once again.

Even though grief can be aggressive, pushing it back is not helpful. Grief doesn’t demand to be overcome—it brashly appeals to our hearts, crying, "Hear me! This hurts!" In short, grief requests our engagement. While some may choose to silence their sorrows through self-medication, followers of Christ are called to engage their grief with hope. Christian hope is not meant to cancel out our griefs and sorrows, but is meant to sustain and comfort us in them and ultimately redeem us from them.

Do you know what it's like to have intense feelings of grief take you by surprise? Have you wondered if you should be "over it" by now, or if it's even possible to grieve and hope at the very same time? Find biblical hope and help in today's article at devotableapp.com.

Read the fill devotion at https://devotableapp.com/daily-devotion-engaging-grief-with-hope/