by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
Life goes on . . .
but the great wise preacher Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 7:2):
"It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting:
for this is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart."
The expression "life goes on" holds an important truth: There is an extreme of grief that is quite harmful, and to prolong our grieving too long is not healthy for ourselves or those around us. There should be no guilt in resuming one's normal life after the healing process is over.
But compare the common expression with the sobering words of Solomon, who states that the wise person will "lay ... to his heart" the reality that we are all mortal. There is a sense in which life should not just "go on." For, "...it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this cometh judgment" (Heb. 9:27).
This "value" of grief does not mean that we should minimize our heartfelt sorrow for and assistance to those who are suffering from their loss. However, by maturing in our understanding of the role that grief plays in our lives, we can be better prepared for that sure and certain day in which we will be touched by it.