Overstaying Guest

January 2026 was a brute. I wouldn’t have survived it but for the Word and the God Shot. 

On New Year's day, a guest came uninvited. It barged through the door without knocking. And it overstayed till the 20th. 

These are cryptic words from someone who blogs about grace in the simplest of terms.   

So let me name this unscheduled guest: grief. It is mysterious yet ubiquitous when it visits. It comes  unannounced, allowing for no preparation. It leaves you no time to lock the door. 

Perhaps because it was on New Year’s Day 2025 (last year) when we rushed the head of our home to the hospital due to breathing difficulty. We got stuck there till he bade us goodbye on the 20th day. 

In great detail, this rude guest replayed—sometimes in slomo—all that had happened from hour to hour, day to day. With a jarring alarm, it roused the five senses, making them more acute than they were at peak levels: the suffocating smell of alcohol and meds; the sterile sight of unsmiling people in white coats; the hurried sound of footsteps checking IV, blood pressure, pulse, breathing at all odd hours; the icy feel of the patient’s clammy hands and loose grip; and the bland taste of canteen food. Amidst the chaos, I'd hear the patient's calming voice, "Get some sleep; I am okay." 

In a way he was okay. His mind was a astute as ever, too astute to show courage, hide pain or any form of suffering from me and his sons. He was okay--to leave for his eternal home. 

Through 20 days this year, I was loathed to attend happy events, much more to write about them. 

Unlike grief, however, gracc is a constant. It resides in a believer’s heart. It flows; it floods; it flourishes; it fills; and it’s free. It only needs to be acknowledged and received. And the Word affirms it, making the unwanted guest unimportant and at some point, it slinks away.  

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 ESV

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4: 

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 

For 20 days, an uninvited guest came to stay; it made me seek grace, which pushed it astray. “He is where the joy is.”