From Grief to Dancing

Grief. The small awkward word seems inadequate for the weight of emotion it bears on one’s soul.

It’s defined as a multifaceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something that has died, to which a bond of affection was formed.

Multifaceted response indeed.

As a six-year-old little girl, I felt the weight of loss as my Dad cupped my chin in his large hands assuring me I would be ok but he and Mom were getting divorced.

He stepped out of our lives. For the next decade I grew up in the wake of that grief. It felt normal after a few years. The multifaceted response wasn’t stifled though. Reaching for security and stability wherever I could became the norm.

God has a way of weaving the tapestry of our lives in such a way that often keeps us guessing, ultimately seeking Him.

Dad drove back into our lives just about the time I drove off to college. Trips home were frequent as bonds were reestablished and what was lost was redeemed.

In ways that once felt like a fairytale, God indeed restored the years the locusts had eaten. A kid of divorce never dreams of seeing their parents remarry, but God’s ways are far higher than our own.

Years passed, milestones were marked, and life felt right again.

My dad held my hand as we danced my white dress swaying. What once seemed a dream was now reality.

Marriages, children and over two decades passed. God made Himself known in our lives and opened each once of our eyes to the Truth of His salvation in those years. Such grace. Such redemption.

Then the day came. I left like the six-year-old little girl again, as the weight of loss bore down on me afresh. I sat on that hospital bed and Dad cupped my chin with his large hands assuring me I would be ok, but he was going Home to Jesus and I would see him again.

He stepped out of our lives again. It has been nearly two years of navigating life with that loss. Grief, twice in one life for the same parent seems harsh.

But God turns mourning into dancing and one day, those of us in Christ, will dance dressed in white, swaying to the rhythm of redemption.


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About Me

I’m Mariel & I invite you to greater intimacy with God through His Word for yourself, using my TEND method of Bible study.

33 thoughts on “From Grief to Dancing”

  1. Let now our hearts be young and gay,
    for soon enough, the pain
    must come as the price we pay,
    for joy may not remain
    in these fallen earthly days,
    lest we cease to see
    the reason we must offer praise
    to God, whose mastery
    will give us wide and bright elation
    when we attain His presence,
    but ’till then, this is our station,
    with loss and grief the essence,
    the price which we had never dreamed
    of hope that is in Him redeemed.

    Reply
  2. Beautiful! Heartbreaking about the divorce and its consequences. Heartwarming about the restoration. Understanding and a virtual hug for the heavenly promotion.

    Thank you for sharing your story. So vulnerable. So authentic. So beautiful.

    Reply
  3. I love how you remind us that grief can come with loss—not only death. So many of us grieve the loss of relationship with our dads. I’m so glad you were able to restore yours before he passed. What a beautiful testimony.

    Reply
  4. Mariel,
    You certainly have experienced true grief – twice losing your dad. Praise that God can, and does, restore the years the locust have eaten. I know you eagerly look forward to being reunited with him once again. Beautiful post – brought me to tears…
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

    Reply

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