Finding Purpose In Grief

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

It was a cool summer day. We’d been invited to the lake by our friends whose family members, Sue and Rick, owned a small cabin close to town. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by our friends and the owners.

As our kids put their suits on and ran out to the lake, Rick was waiting, ready to take them out tubing. We spent the next few hours watching the kids laugh and play in the water. Afterward, as we got dinner ready and the kids played yard games, Sue told us how much she enjoyed having us over.

She went on to share about her daughter Ellie who had died in a car accident at just thirteen years of age. My friends and I sat quietly as she talked about the kind of person Ellie was—a joyful girl who loved to dance, and who was kind and compassionate. Her life’s motto had been “Be a friend to everyone.”

We smiled, holding back tears as Sue went on to explain about their daughter’s legacy, an organization called Ellie’s Army that each year supports kids in school by creating a buddy system of friendship between older and younger students.

As we left their cabin that day, I was grateful they had shared their inspiring story. Ellie’s legacy lives on through her parents and all who knew her, and it was evident from their hospitality and kindness toward us where she got her openhearted spirit from.

We all experience hard things in life. Spend any amount of time on this earth and we’ll know suffering. But Scripture says that afterward, God will restore and strengthen us and put us back on a firm foundation. He won’t leave us alone in our trials. With God’s help, we can find a purpose, just as Sue and Rick did, in our grief and our pain. And hopefully, our story can be an encouragement to others about the goodness of God, even in the hard times of life.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Look for someone in your local community who has experienced tragedy and now works to inspire change in the world. Find a way to partner together.