Your Grief Will Not Darken Your Heart

In the third book of the Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, it was said, “the hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.”

When Aragorn the rightful king returns, he comes healing. He first heals Faramir and Eowyn, and then he goes to heal the hobbit Merry.

The reason Merry needed healing is because he had stabbed a Ringwraith, trying to save Theoden. But even after his valiant effort, Theoden didn’t live. Merry could only helplessly watch him die. Merry’s wound caused him physical pain and, because it came from a Ringwraith, it also caused him supernatural pain. And because his friend died, there was emotional pain on top of it all. Merry had much grief.

As Aragorn is on his way to heal Merry, Pippin is seized by fear that Merry would die. But Aragorn encourages Pippin, “His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom.”

How often do we think our trials have no point? How often do we think they are there to simply “darken our hearts”?

Or do we believe God when He says that He gives us trials to “teach us wisdom” (James 1:2-8)? Do we count it all joy when we fall into various trials?

It may be you won’t forget the grief of your trials. I hope none of us ever forget the grief of Jesus’ death on the cross. But in the light of the resurrection, our hearts can’t be darkened by our grief. Because true wisdom only comes from believing in the One who died, rose again, and now sits at the right hand of the Father.

What do you think?
Joseph