‘Godly grief.’ That’s a phrase to memorize, post on Instagram or tattoo on your leg! These two words of St. Paul brilliantly captures the spiritual growing pains that all Christians feel as they mature into the love of God.  What are the occasions for this grief? For Paul it was division in his church family. For you it may be division in your family.  It may be a wayward child or a parent with sudden dementia. It may be a world full of division, pandemic and isolation. Godly grief can be anything that brings you face to face with the ways you fall short of God and others, and the ways God and others fall short of you. It is grief, but Godly grief, in so much as we offer it to God and thereby grow in love and trust. The Armenian Church holds deep wisdom on Godly grief. Medieval theologian Grigor Tatevatsi provides this beautiful proverb on Godly grief: ‘great is the distance between heaven and earth, while short is the distance tears fall from eyes down the face. Yet this short journey of tears, conquers the great distance to heaven.’  Godly grief contains a mysterious power to propel us closer to God and to each other in His love.