I've learned so much about what grief has brought me.

Trust: I've learned to trust God in ways I had not tried before.

Oh, I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I trusted my children into His watchful care. I trusted our travels to Him, as well as decisions of life and choices that held great importance.

But grief showed me how to trust an hour to Him to not fall apart. To trust eight hours of sleep for the rest I needed.

This: to trust that He Who had guided US, would continue to direct ME.

Comfort: I've learned that comfort is not about being comfortable.

Yes, the Lord brought comfort to my heart when my elderly parents passed into eternity. It was a comfort to know they were no longer suffering.

But the grief of widowhood showed me that God is the God of all comfort. He brings comfort to our sharp pain of loss, and gives us words that connect with others who have experienced the loss of a spouse.

Words of comfort are like treasure: valuable and worth sharing with those in need.

Strength: I've learned that strength that matters is not my own.

Of course, I'd powered through some hard life seasons, strong for others, mostly exhausted and stubborn. I knew where my strength came from, like I recognized photos of the reservoir from which my water came.

But grief, raw and debilitating, chest aching and in weakness, sent me to 2 Corinthians 12:9 Here I realized in a new way: God's grace is enough. His unmerited favor was sufficient because His strength was made perfect in my weakness, my total lack.

My weakness was the perfect place where He would show up. Where I could not, He would.

Loss removes a lot in our lives. But He's never failed in five years after the loss. I have learned a lot from grief: I can turn to the Lord for every need. Trust the Lord, find your Comfort in Him, and His Strength never fails.

Proverbs 20: 27 " The Lord's lamp sheds light on a person's life, searching the innermost parts."