Two days after my father died, my son hugged me and said, "I miss Granddad! I said, "I know and so do I. But you understand that Granddad is in heaven and he is happy?" Jonathan looked at me and said, "I know that but what about us? Being the good father that I am, I did not have a ready answer.
"What about us" is a good question. Even though my father is in heaven, I still hurt. The very one to give me comfort is gone. My daddy is not here.
But Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15: "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope."
Paul is not telling us not to grieve. He is telling us to grieve with hope. This scripture does not make me "feel better." This scripture keeps me from despair. It says in verse 14: "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."
God does not promise to take away our pain, He promises to take us home with him.