The Weight of the World: Dealing with Grief in 2020
“He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” -Isaiah 53:3a
As if the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t enough, our world is currently dealing with a myriad of devastating disasters that affect so many lives, both directly and indirectly. Cyclone Amphan ravishes the coasts of India and Bangledesh, killing many. Dam failure in Michigan displaces thousands. The shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, regardless of the investigation’s outcome, has highlighted the fact that race relations in America need so much work, and many of our African American brothers and sisters are hurting.
It’s uncanny the volume of tragedies we’ve experienced in this first half of 2020. In times like these, it’s perfectly natural to ask Why? And even though most of these tragedies haven’t affected me directly, and therefore don’t warrant Why me, I’ve found myself asking, Why them?
But the reality is we may never have an answer to our why questions, though I don’t believe God minds our asking them. What we really want, most of the time, isn’t answers. What we really want, and what we really need, is comfort.
Isaiah 53 is a chapter in the Old Testament understood by Christians to be a prophecy about Jesus, a moving portrayal of who he is, what he would do, the ways he would suffer, and how that suffering would one day benefit us greatly.
One of the verses that has gripped me lately is the beginning of verse three, the part where Jesus is referred to as “a man of sorrows,” “acquainted with grief.”
It’s a comfort in itself to know that our tears matter to God, that he has cried tears of grief and sadness himself, and he knows. He knows. He understands when we come to him angry and sad. He just wants us to come to him.
Every person’s grief looks different right now, as every situation is unique. Maybe you have lost a loved one in this pandemic, or maybe you have lost opportunity and security. Maybe life has been turned upside down for you or a loved one due to a natural disaster. Maybe you are someone who has dealt with the bitter, devastating reality of racism. Maybe none of those things are true for you, yet you still have a sense of sadness and grief right now because of a deep disappointment either in this season of your life or in a previous one.
I want to tell you that you’re not alone, and if you don’t think you have anyone praying for you, know that you have at least one.
I want to remind you of a promise Jesus made you and me that is as true now as the day he spoke it, a promise I’ve found great comfort in personally:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus took the weight of the world on his shoulders, and though the world feels really heavy right now, it’s good for us to remember that his shoulders still bear that weight. And though we may not and never know why, we can know—if we dare to believe—that he is and always will be good. And that he has invited us to come to him and to grieve with him.
*If you need a friend to talk to or someone to pray for you more specifically, please reach out to me!
Alessandro Magnasco, Exorcism of the Waves, 1735