I Believe in Heaven… So Why Am I Still Struggling in Grief?
Finding peace when your faith and your heartache sit at the same table.
I believe in heaven but the weight of missing my child still feels like a physical ache that catches me off guard some mornings.
Maybe you’ve thought that too, but you didn’t say it out loud because you’re afraid it means your faith isn’t strong enough. If you are struggling with the tension between what you believe and what you feel, I want you to know that your tears aren’t a sign of weak belief…..
They are a testament to a very real love.
When Truth Doesn’t Cancel Sorrow
We often think that if we have enough truth, the pain should just vanish, but even in the presence of the One who was about to raise the dead, there were tears.
John 11:35 (NLT)
“Jesus wept.”
Jesus didn’t rush to fix Mary’s emotions or correct her for being heartbroken.
He stood in the space where belief and grief were both present.
He showed us that truth does not cancel sorrow. You can believe in the eternal life of your child and still feel the deep absence in your everyday life.
The Worship Found in Silence
This past Saturday, I lost my voice for five days and the quiet felt heavy. In that silence, I listened to a reimagining of old hymns by Tommee Profitt, and when “It Is Well With My Soul” began to play, I found myself undone.
I was sitting there, believing that heaven is real and that the story isn’t over, yet I was feeling the reality that Andrew is no longer walking beside me.
In that moment, I wasn’t trying to fix it.
I was just letting the truth be true…
and letting the grief be there, too.
It felt like the Holy Spirit was advocating for my heart when I didn’t have words.
Surrendering the Vice Grip
When life gets overwhelming, it feels like a vice grip tightening down on us, and we want to grab hold of everything-anything-
so we can control the outcome.
I remember being 20 years old, driving an old Pinto station wagon with a door I had to hold shut while shifting gears, trying to manage the pressure of nursing school.
2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NLT)
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”
That morning, the Holy Spirit met me in that car to remind me that I didn’t have to carry it all.
Just because Jesus paid it all doesn’t mean we don’t feel the weight of love in this life. I believe in heaven, but I also know that love still longs for them here.
Hope That Doesn’t Replace the Ache
What Jesus did secured eternity but,
you are still living in today,
where hearts still ache.
Your faith and your sorrow can sit in the same place; you can be certain of their home in heaven while being gut-level honest about how much you miss them here.
John 14:27 (NLT)
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Peace isn’t the absence of pain; it’s the presence of God in the middle of it.
He isn’t asking you to choose between your hope and your hurt. He is simply asking you to bring both to Him as you walk this valley.
When You Are Still Carrying This Today
This is where the resurrection meets your real life—not just as a distant promise, but as a truth that holds you right now.
Because Jesus rose, your child is not held by death; they are held by the One who defeated it.
You are not walking this valley by yourself. God has not stepped away from you because you are struggling or because your heart is heavy.
He is present
He is near
And even in the quietest, hardest moments, He is holding you.
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode
If you’ve been carrying the secret shame of wondering why your faith hasn’t “fixed” your feelings, I invite you to listen to this week’s episode. We’re untangling the lie that says your grief is a sign of spiritual failure.
🎙 Episode 271: I Believe in Heaven… So Why Am I Still Struggling in Grief?
on The Grief Mentor Podcast will meet you right there. In this conversation, I walk you through the “Spiritual Vice Grip” and why the music of Tommee Profitt is meeting moms right in the middle of the ache..
Next Steps/Mentoring
✨ GRIEF MENTOR SESSIONS
If your heart feels overwhelmed or you’re unsure how to navigate this season of grief, I would be honored to walk with you in a 1:1 Grief Mentor Session — a time of intentional listening, spiritual discernment, and compassionate mentorship to help you understand your grief and take steady steps forward.
In each session, I listen carefully to your story and offer personalized guidance, along with simple printables and visual tools designed to meet you right where you are.
👉 Book your session: Here
👉 Resources: Here
With care and prayer,
Teresa Davis
