Good Grief

“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.” - Isaiah 61:3 
 
 
As we continue to look at the subject of grief, I want you to know today that as tough as grief is, as difficult as it is to lose someone you love, there is something redemptive about it. 
 
Yes, there is pain, but there is also such a thing as good grief. There is something of a silver lining that can be found in the most difficult of circumstances of life. There is a flip side to it.  
 
Perhaps that is what the prophet Isaiah had in mind when he said in Isaiah 61:3, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”  
 
There is such a thing as “good grief,” and in the same way that the little boy we referenced over the first few days, who was despondent after dropping his father’s gift, discovered the beauty in the midst of broken pieces, we can all find something good in grief as well.  
 
I am talking to someone today who is struggling with grief. Perhaps you have lost a loved one. Or maybe it is divorce or a lost friendship. Maybe your employer has cut ties with you. Whatever the case may be, you are feeling the grief that comes along with life’s worst circumstances. 
 
I am here to tell you today that there is “good” in the grief. No, not all parts of it are good. But there is good to be found. And God wants you to see the “good” in your circumstances, today. What good can be found in your grief?