Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)

Wisdom From Grief

There is so much to find joy in life. The birth of a baby brings a smile. Finding first love endears the heart with happiness. Friendships stir the emotions of bonding with laughter and enjoyment. A glad heart makes a happy face. In the face of the joys of life, there come those times of sorrow and sadness. Life cannot be roses without thorns. One goes with the other. It would be an impossible world to live without sorrow.

Pain is a source of wisdom and is needful. Without pain, the body would be destroyed. God created the body to be sensitive to what could destroy it by placing nerve cells throughout the flesh. When a hand is held over an open flame, the body reacts with pain, warning the brain that danger is present. Without the presence of the nerve cells, the body would burn up. There is a sense in which sorrow is the nerve cell of the spirit of man. Pain and sorrow find their way into everyone’s life. No one can live very long without the sting of grief impacting their lives.

Life is a series of realities. Some pleasant and many not so pleasant. The death of a loved one can outweigh the joy of a new baby. It hurts. A lot. The human spirit is overwhelmed with grief, paralyzing the mind, sapping the strength, and crushing the heart. In the sorrow of the heart, the breath is oppressed. In all of this sorrow, the Lord said it is a better thing. Why is it better to go to the house of mourning? Wisdom is found in the story of death because it reminds the soul how frail life is.

It is easy to become so overwhelmed with the busy things of living that forgotten is the dark reality that life is tenuous at best and final at last. The house of mourning reminds the soul that life is short and all will die. That is a reality that is hard to accept. The end of all men is what men pretend will never happen. When it does occur, there is shock. It can become difficult to live with the gravity of loss. Suffering is a part of life that is hard to accept. The sadness of growing older is the knowledge that sorrow will increase more directly and indirectly. There will be personal loss and indirect loss from others. The only hope to navigate the turbulent waters of grief is to know how life ends and what life is really about.

God never intended for men to live forever on the Earth. He desired for His creation to dwell with Him in eternity. Man was created a creature that would die. Jesus came not to take away pain and sorrow but to offer men an avenue of hope to deal with grief. The Romans killed Jesus. He tasted death so that men could taste grief and live. Seeking answers to the house of mourning can only be found in the wisdom of God. Life is not about the here and now – it never has been. When men come to that understanding, they will find greater hope and courage to face the trials of life. Do not build your life on the shambles of an ending world. This world, like your life, will come to an end. There is no doubt about that fact. Live with a view of eternity. It will change your life and help in times of grief. God will wipe all tears away, but that will not happen until eternity. Then we will understand everything.