Looking Back
In Light of Bereavement:
How Ellen White processed unexpected loss
T
he past two years have been filled with grief and loss. Beyond the pain of losing a loved one, many are still processing the confusing swirl of emotions that come with careers upended, plans curtailed, and dreams unfulfilled in the chaos of the current pandemic. Pressing through the fog of these realities can be difficult. After a sudden and significant death in one of my congregations, my mind gravitated to a statement that once hung on a wall in my in-laws’ home—the cherished words, penned by Adventist Church cofounder Ellen White after burying her husband and ministry partner, were framed and visible to give encouragement after a tragic accident claimed one of their friends. Could Ellen White’s personal experience and inspired counsel provide direction for those struggling to process their own losses? I wondered.
THE CRUSHING WEIGHT
As Ellen White rode in a carriage from Battle Creek to Charlotte, Michigan, for a weekend speaking engagement with her husband, she was impressed with how God had restored him. He had experienced significant setbacks because of a stroke 16 years prior, but was now thinking clearly, moving freely, and speaking powerfully. She records him saying, “Now that God has given me renewed physical and mental strength, I feel that I can serve His cause as I have never been able to serve it before.”1 Plans were made to travel to Colorado and the Pacific coast, offering ample time to write. Beyond this, Ellen White stated, “We hoped that we might stand together to witness the triumphant close [of God’s work at the second coming of Jesus].”2 James suffered a bit of cold exposure from an unexpected storm
