“Grief is the cost of loving someone.”

When I read those words in “Through a Season of Grief”, they jumped off the page.

I had never thought about grief as the cost of something I willingly chose. I always viewed grief as part of the natural order of life—something that simply happened to us. But realizing that grief is the price of love changed how I see it.

It made me stop and ask myself:

What is something that causes you grief?

For me, grief has come through losing my mom, loving people deeply, living fully, taking risks, loving God wholeheartedly, and walking by faith.

Every one of those choices has brought moments of grief. Not because they were bad choices, but because life didn’t always unfold the way I hoped, expected, or planned. Sometimes people leave. Sometimes dreams change. Sometimes doors close. Sometimes prayers are answered differently than we imagined.

When grief comes, I often find myself revisiting the memories—the moments that brought joy, comfort, and meaning. I hold onto them tightly because they remind me of what was. Sometimes I linger there, hoping that if I stay in those memories long enough, the pain of the present will somehow disappear.

But I’m beginning to see grief differently.

I’m beginning to see it as evidence that I loved, that I lived, that I dared to hope, and that I opened my heart despite the risks.

If grief is the cost of love, then there is no way to avoid it completely. The question isn’t whether we will experience grief. The question is whether we will allow ourselves to walk through it.

Maybe the memories we hold so tightly aren’t meant to keep us stuck in the past. Maybe they’re meant to remind us that the love, joy, and experiences we had were worth the cost.

Today, I’m choosing to believe that grief is not the end of the story. It’s part of the journey of loving and living freely.

What if the very thing that causes our grief is also one of God’s greatest gifts?
💛