I Am Made Righteous

Few days ago, a friend passed away. He was going through emotional struggles and became an alcoholic until his body gave up. When I learned about what happened, I felt deep regrets on our friendship. We were good friends before we had a misunderstanding years ago. That misunderstanding lead to no communication at all. I wished I never stopped reaching out with him and resolved our issues. I felt guilty I was absent in his life during those times he needed someone.

After days of weeping, I still felt the weight of what happened between us. There’s nothing I can do anymore. My friend is gone. I cried out all of my emotions to God and He comforted me with the truth of His Word. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). I am made righteous because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

I learned it is okay to grieve. As Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. Let us not forget to hold on to God’s Word as we grieve, for the enemy might twist our grief to deceive us and fill us with shame and guilt. God is not giving up on us. Despite our mistakes, He still wants to use us to for His glory.