Hey, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. The reading for today titled

Hope and Grief was written by Leslie Coe. Louise was a lively, playful girl who brought

smiles to all she met.

At the age of five, she tragically succumbed to a rare disease.

Her sudden passing was a shock to her parents, Dayday and Peter,

and to all of us who worked with them.

We grieved along with them.

Yet Day Day and Peter have found the strength to keep going. When I asked Dayday how they were coping, she said they drew strength from

focusing on where Louise was in Jesus' loving arms. We rejoice for our daughter whose time is up to go into eternal life, she said.

By God's grace and strength, we can navigate through the grief and continue to do what he has

entrusted us to do. Day Day's comfort is found in her confidence in the heart of God,

who revealed himself in Jesus. Biblical hope is much more

than mere optimism. It's an absolute certainty based on God's promise, which he will never break.

In our sadness, we can cling to this powerful truth. As Paul encouraged those grieving over departed friends in 1st

Thessalonians chapter 4, we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God

will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. May this certain hope give us

strength and comfort today, even in our grief.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1st Thessalonians, chapter 4 4 verses 13 through 18.

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death,

so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus

those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still

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