Am I holding onto grief because letting go feels like forgetting them?

Grief does strange things. Sometimes we hold it close, not because we enjoy the pain, but because the pain feels like the last thread connecting us to someone we loved. To stop hurting feels like moving on. And moving on feels like a kind of betrayal. Maybe it is worth asking yourself honestly today: am I keeping the wound open because I am afraid healing means losing them twice? God never asks you to forget. He asks you to trust him with what he promised.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

- Revelation 21:4 (KJV)

Find one photograph or one object that reminds you of the person you are missing. Hold it for a moment, say their name out loud, and then say this: "You are held by God, and so am I." That is not goodbye. That is an act of trust.

Lord, I do not want to let go of them, and I am afraid of what healing means. Teach me that hope is not forgetting. Hold them close, and hold me too. Amen.