Acquainted with Grief

I had never truly experienced grief before losing my father in February of 2021. I had lost distant family, but I hadn't lost someone who was part of my every day, who meant so much to me, before losing my father. He was my cheerleader, he was my friend, one of my first teachers of the gospel of Christ. Losing him hurt and it was a pain that I knew I couldn't escape from. I had to feel it and go through it. Grief is the price that one pays for the love that is felt. And I really love my Dad.

In my pleading, my prayers and my grief I remembered that my Savior felt grief too. He lost His adoptive father, He lost His cousin and we are told that He was a man 'acquainted with grief'. He needed to know what that felt like so that He could comfort us when we felt what we all will feel because death is a part of this life. That separation we feel when we lose those we love, He felt that.

I painted this to show Jesus in the very moment He learns of the loss of His cousin John. He is being comforted by His apostle as He looks to God to help Him with the understanding that He will see John again. I was also able to feel that comfort from those around me who did what they could to lift me up.