In all our lives we carry many burdens. Sometimes we carry them in such a way that they help us grow, at other times we allow them to eat away at us, making them very heavy indeed. Jesus is not saying that we will not have burdens to carry. But He is telling us to find rest in Him. Jesus is offering refreshment and peace. Even when those we love pass into eternal life, we are consoled in knowing that they are at peace and that we will be united with them again.
We perform many rituals in remembering the dead, especially in the month of November. Today we might light a candle, say a prayer, visit a church or grave, look at old photographs. We can be thankful for the many ways in which our loved ones shaped us, cared for us, and who are with us as we continue to journey through life.
“We are who we are today and we are where we are today, because of those whose lives have touched ours and who have let our lives touch theirs. God, in the magnificence of things, does not intend us to be neutral when we lose those who have loved us. So, our grief has to be tinged with gratitude for lives which have shaped us, for hands that have held us, for voices that have inspired us, for eyes which have beheld us, for ears that have listened to us.” (Unknown Author).
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