Because my husband was a pastor for thirty-three years and a chaplain for eighteen years, we have stood with many people as they grieved the loss of a loved one. In most of these cases, the deceased person was a Christian believer, but that does not annihilate the pain of having a loved one no longer on the earth.

Death has been on my mind a whole lot during the month of February. On February eleventh, our family hit the twelve-year mark for the loss of our son Bryan. There were still a few tears that day as we talked about missing him. About three weeks ago, we lost my brother Wayne. Wayne lived in California for well over fifty years, so we rarely saw each other. In the months before his death, we reconnected talking by phone or texting. Neither of us had a clue that he would be gone so quickly. On February twenty-eighth, my brother-in-law Tony left this world after being married to my sister for nearly fifty-seven years. Tony was a man with a servant’s heart and loved his family deeply.

There is a possibility that before this year concludes, we will find ourselves back at the cemetery unless God chooses to change that. Additionally, we are praying with and ministering to families facing losses of children, spouses, dear friends, and family members. Some are in intense pain.

I am not sure if it has been taught or been caught, but there is a misleading twist on the scripture about death losing its sting. The Bible says, “where o death is your victory, where o death is your sting?”   We know that there is joy because our loved one, as a believer, is in the presence of the Lord. That is glorious and wonderful, but there is still the sting that those of us left behind feel. That verse does not tell us that death does not sting because we are Christians. It does sting, and the pain can be felt for years.

1 Corinthians 15: 54-55 says, “Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

That word “then” helps us to understand these verses. The word “then” connotes a time in the future. So, these verses are telling us that there will come a time in the future, after the last trumpet has sounded, when we will be able to finally say, “Death’s sting is gone!” 

I want the sting of death to be gone for all of us right now, but we are not there yet. For me and for some of you, death still stings. The pain is the ripping apart of interwoven hearts and brings a grief that knows no bounds.

For those who are feeling the fresh sting of death or a sting that has lasted for a while, it does not make you a weak Christian. God is not mad at you because you, as His child, dare to grieve. That is not our God! God is with you in the midst of all that pain.

It is amazing, when grief tries to be my steadfast companion on any given day, what faith in God can do. I have learned to pour out my thoughts and feelings to God. It really is true that, “The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:17-18.

We might feel the sting of death now, but the day will come when the sting will be gone! Just as the grave could not hold Jesus, it will be incapable of holding Christians. What a day of reunion that awaits us, and we will be able to shout the questions, ” Grave where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” Both will be silent.