Written by Kim Johnson

I’ve been thinking lately, is it possible that grief doesn’t disappear, but changes over time? And that, maybe, peace doesn’t mean the pain is gone, it simply means the pain no longer controls every breath.

Or perhaps grief softens with time, not because love fades, but because the heart learns how to hold both sorrow and life at the same time.

Shoot! I think we rush ourselves too much. After all, why does there have to be a deadline for grief? Or a moment when we are “supposed to be over it by now.” I think peace probably begins when we release the pressure to heal on anyone else’s timeline but our own.

Maybe part of peace is allowing ourselves to feel without judgment. Letting sadness come when it comes. Letting memories rise without trying to push them away. And maybe peace arrives when we stop arguing with our emotions and allow them to pass through us instead of fighting them.

Here’s a gentle truth I’m holding onto: you don’t move on from grief; you move forward with it. And eventually, grief no longer stands in front of you, blocking the way. It walks beside you, still present, still sacred, but no longer leading every step.

Brothers and sisters, what do you think?

The Bible tells us, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (NIV)