It is said that inspiration can come from anywhere. Often, it seems to come from the least obvious places. If one day you had told me that a quotation from a fictional superhero in an episodic streaming series would evoke a powerful emotional response and an inward character reflection, I never would have believed you.

However, an example of this exists and has become a topic of discussion on many forums and social media platforms over the last year. The single line of dialogue rattles around in my head at the most unlikely of times. The quote comes from the Disney+ series WandaVision. During a flashback moment, the main character, Wanda Maximoff, converses with the android superhero, Vision, about the loss of her brother, Pietro. After mentioning that she feels she will eventually drown under the waves of grief that keep bombarding her, Vision responds: "I have never experienced loss because I have never had a loved one to lose. What is grief if not love persevering?"

That last sentence is what I have recently found myself reflecting on. Our congregation has had no shortage of loss over the last few years. Many brethren are struggling over losing a friend, relative, or even a beloved pet.

Recently, grief has occupied a front seat in my thoughts. We had to make the wrenching decision to have our dog put to sleep after a sudden injury. The immediacy of our tough choice has passed, and the grief of losing a faithful pet has had time to sink in. During these few weeks of reflection, the topic of balance has weighed heavily on my thoughts. The negative aspects of loss often leave us feeling overwhelmed. Yet, without the grief we experience during these difficult times, we could never fully appreciate the joys of unconditional love.

The apostle John writes in I John 4:16: "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." Without grief, there would be no appreciation for love, and without true love, we cannot have a relationship with God, who is, by nature, love. John notes this in a prior verse, I John 4:8 (New Living Translation): "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

The pain of enduring grief from a loss can feel crippling and overwhelming. However, trying to avoid it altogether would damage our spiritual growth. Without the emotional lows, there would be no highs.

How do we navigate the immense feelings of the lows when they strike like rogue waves at the most random times following a loss? How do we avoid feeling shattered and broken by grief? The answer lies in Psalm 34:18: "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." God understands our sorrow and is there to comfort and heal us when we feel crushed and broken. But the psalm cautions that His promise of healing is conditional on having a contrite spirit. In other words, we must repent of our sins and humbly seek God.

Grief can play a vital role in helping us realize the fleetingness of life and the limited time we have to humble ourselves before God the Father and Jesus Christ. It is easy to feel hopeless or overwhelmed during times of loss, but just because we feel cracked does not mean we are broken and unfixable.

Of all things, Roman concrete can help us understand how this works. For decades, scientists have been baffled by Roman construction practices, particularly that concrete structures built by them centuries ago are still standing. In contrast, modern concrete structures degrade or completely collapse in just a few dozen years. Researchers have long speculated that the durability of Roman concrete came from the volcanic ash present in the mixture (from the area of Pozzuoli near the Bay of Naples).

However, in an article published in early 2023, MIT and Harvard University researchers discovered a different ingredient played a crucial role in the durability of the Roman concrete recipe. Limestone clasts (rock fragments) present in the concrete mixtures were thought to be the byproduct of primitive mixing techniques, sloppy workmanship, or simply mixing lime with water into a paste called "slaked lime." Scientists now understand that the limestone fragments form as calcium oxide or "quicklime" during a chemical reaction that occurs when the concrete mixture is super-heated during the mixing process.

This process results in a different lime compound—one that is reactive to water, durable at very high temperatures, and much faster curing. When cracks inevitably occur, the mixture's "quicklime" fragments can mix with water absorbed by the concrete, forming a calcium solution that soaks into the cracks. Then, this solution solidifies as calcium carbonate, "self-healing" the concrete whenever it experiences stress or damage, keeping it from further damage.

In a similar way, we can heal our broken hearts with the Spirit of God during our trials. Like the limestone clasts in Roman concrete, periods of grief sprinkle our lives that, when correctly responded to, and can act as catalysts to repair the damage we may have sustained to our spiritual structures. How we choose to react to these grievous situations plays a crucial role in whether the recipe we mix is healthy for our character growth and development or will lead to further damage.

The process of "hot-mixing" made all the difference in the endurance of Roman concrete. Without that key step, a separate chemical reaction would create a different compound altogether. Ultimately, the concrete would have failed to stand the test of time. What is the parallel process, the essential element, that will help our spiritual structure endure? Consider Isaiah 61:1:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound . . ..

The word for "brokenhearted" is shabar (Strong's #7665), which means "to break into pieces, fracture, crush." Grief can often make us feel permanently broken. However, this Messianic prophecy reveals that Jesus Christ was "sent . . . to heal the brokenhearted." During times of emotional distress, we must draw closer to Christ to mend our hearts and strengthen our spirits. As James 4:8 states: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." Only through humility and godly fear can we truly draw closer to our Healer. Union with Him makes our endurance eternal.

Humanity now understands that the grieving process must include a physical change in our brains. Healing must take place for the brain to make new connections while learning to live without seeing or interacting with someone or something ever again. So secular mankind understands death, as a finality. But as God's people, we have the privilege of knowing that we will see our loved ones again in the future should we stay on course to finish the race God has set before us (see Hebrews 12:1). Paul knew this when writing Timothy: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (II Timothy 4:7).

While grieving may be a slow and painful process, realizing that it plays a vital role in our lives is essential. As Christians, when recovering from significant loss, we must remember that patience and humility are key to navigating grief and drawing closer to God. Proper grieving serves as a reminder and acts as an extension of the love we have for the ones we lost. Because of this connection to love, we can rest assured that the grieving process assists growth in godly character, fulfilling a higher purpose in our walk toward God's Kingdom.