“Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place.”

― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In this life we will have troubles, we will have burdens we must carry. In this scripture, Jesus tells us to… “take my yoke upon you… for my yoke is easy… the burden I give you is light.”

This tells us that life is not simply meadows, daisies and puppies. We will find that life brings challenges and difficulties that we must face. Face with Christ.

I have come to a place in my life where one of the burdens I must carry is grief.

Grief is a response to loss; a multifaceted and continuously changing acknowledgement that what once was is not anymore.

So, what if this grief is not so much a burden, but an anchor?

It helps us steady in the ebbing tides, gives us a new perspective and purpose. The anchor becomes a physical force which brings confidence in an otherwise uncertain land.

To flip the script of what grief can be in life is empowering. Rather than being weighed down in a manner which debilitates us, we can be strengthened knowing we have something which brings us home and allows us to stay firmly tethered to bigger things then we can ever understand.

This anchor of grief can bring us back to God, and connect us with others.

Grief is universal yet personal, and so seeing it as an anchor allows all of us who live on this side of grief to find purpose in it’s presence. We can find understanding in the camaraderie and fellowship of those who have experienced loss as well. It is not a fellowship we ever want to be part of, but such is life and loss and finding purpose within the loss.

And ultimately, the anchor gives us a way back to God. God always finds a way to bring His people back to Him.