Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you wil rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.  A Promise of Jesus, John 16:22

This wonderful promise that Jesus made to His disciples shortly before His crucifixion reveals the ultimate hope of every Christian believer: our grief does not last forever. No matter how great our sadness today, there is a joy ahead that cannot be denied. I had the privilege for a moment in time to literally see the difference the hope of Jesus makes in the heart of a grieving person.

As I stood before the packed church in a feeble attempt to capture the essence of my best friend's life, I saw a room awash with purple and red. Because her favorite color was purple, many of her friends wore the rich, royal color in her honor. And because it was her funeral, their faces were red and shiny from streams of tears. As I gazed at the faces looking toward me, I saw something I will never forget, something I had thought was visible only to the human heart. I saw the face of hope.

Sprinkled throughout the crowd, hope glowed on the faces of those who believe, those who knew that the funeral of one of God's children is not the end of the relationship they cherish. It is merely a semi-colon in the story line, a poignant separation whose painful memory will one day fade in light of eternity.

Although everyone wore the face of grief, I could have picked out the faces of hope, one by one. Those who had the hope of Christ in their hearts wore that hope like a warm coat on a stormy day. Their shelter of hope didn't take away the storm or lessen its intensity, but it gave them comfort in the midst of it because they knew that one day the storms of life will cease forever.

If you've ever been at a loss as to how to encourage a hurting friend, help has arrived! Filled with practical ideas for showing how much you care, this book helps you understand the (more...)