From Charlie Gray

Donna and I have a second home in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. It has provided us both with a place of solitude and relaxation. There are nine world class golf courses within ten minutes of my driveway and the Atlantic Ocean is at my front door. I have spent the majority of my time there over the recent months. As I mentioned, it provides a fabulous environment for thought and reflection.

Last week as I sat stretched out under my shibumi, I drifted off into a stream of thoughts about the people in my life who are going through difficult times. I have loved ones that are dealing with cancer, broken marriages and wayward children. They are floundering in a climate of discontent. Many of them are simply collateral damage at the hands of reckless others. They are hurting while I’m soaking up the sun and being seduced by the ocean breeze.

I know heartache and grief up close and personal. It has visited me and my family and I know the hopelessness it leaves in its wake. I know the malignant clutch of overwhelming sadness. In my helpless reality, I so wanted to rescue my friends who were being victimized by the villain I knew firsthand.

Grief is a terrible emotion. But as ugly and debilitating as it is, it is spawned from love. We grieve for those we love. In fact, it’s the greatest unspoken gesture we can offer to those we care about. Matthew 5:4 reminds us, as followers of Jesus, that "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted". These words provide assurance that those who experience and acknowledge the pain of mourning, rather than avoiding it, will be comforted by God’s presence and grace. May the holy spirit occupy your heart and soothe the pain of this world for you and for those you love. .