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“[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:4 (NLT)

After my husband passed away, I feared there would never be another day in my life that I didn’t shed tears. Surely, I am all cried out, I think. But no, here they come again. Tears can mount a “sneak attack” at any given moment, but God loves and comforts us. He allows us to see the work He is doing in our lives, and He brings healing to our hearts. And God’s Word has good news for those who are grieving: Grief is finite.

Tears of Grief and Sorrow

Many widows I know cry lots of tears. I do, too. God knows about every one of those tears. In fact, He keeps them in a special place, noting each one as they fall.

“You keep track of all [our] sorrows.
You have collected all [our] tears in Your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.”
Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

God knows our grief. He knows our sorrow. He sees every tear.

Jesus knows about sorrow and tears, too. Speaking of the Suffering Servant, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Isaiah calls Him

“a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief”
Isaiah 53:3b (NLT)

John 11:35 (NIV) notes that

“Jesus wept”

over the death of His friend, Lazarus. Jesus knows. He knows! We find comfort in bringing our grief to a God who gathers our tears, to a Savior who knows sorrow and has shed tears over the death of loved ones. And God has a reason for extending such incomparable comfort to us.

Comforting Others with the Comfort We Receive from God

I understand these verses better since I became a widow:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah! He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ISV)

This passage is true and applicable even when—maybe especially when—we are mourning and grieving the loss of our spouses. God comforts us so that we can comfort others in the same way He comforts us. We receive comfort, and we give comfort. This is a cycle that perpetuates for as long as we draw breath! Gladly, God’s comfort is inexhaustible. Have you received comfort from another widow? I surely have, and there is no comfort quite like it. Other widows, though their experiences are not the same as our own, are able to comfort us because they understand this kind of loss and have, themselves, received comfort from the God of all comfort.

So, what about that good news? Is grief really finite?

Yes, grief is really finite. Grief has limits. Let’s take a quick look at what “finite” means. Merriam-Webster.com[1] defines “finite” as follows:

• having definite or definable limits
• having a limited nature or existence [emphasis added]

But don’t take my word—or Merriam-Webster’s—for it. God, in His infinite goodness, shares these truths in His Word:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
John 10:27-28a (NIV)

“[God] will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces.”
Isaiah 25:8a (NASB1995)

“[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:4 (NLT)

God’s Word tells us that grief is finite. It has limits. In eternity with Him, we will never again see death, tears, sorrow, pain, or grief. For those grieving now or who may find themselves grieving in the future, an eternity without grief is, indeed, good news.

Sorrow and Grief will be no more

Sisters, God cares deeply about the tears shed and the grief carried by widows. We know He is profoundly moved by the deaths of our husbands. He is intimately acquainted with our hardship, pain, and sorrow. God knows the deep grief of losing a beloved one—He gave His only Son, Jesus, so that believers would not perish but have eternal life with Him in heaven (cf. John 3:16). And the day will come when we enter eternity, and sorrow and grief will be no more.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your care and deep concern for widows. You are the God of all comfort, and we rest in the truth of Your word. Help us to be a comfort to other widows, and anyone else who needs to be comforted with the kind of comfort we have received from You. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

[1] “Finite.” Merriam-Webster, accessed March 2, 2026, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finite.