💜 Agape Love Daily Grief Support Devotional 💜Tuesday, September 8, 2026
“You Can Miss Them and Still Be Thankful for Today”
📖 Scripture — KJV
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”— Psalm 118:24
🌿 Devotional Thought
Sometimes grief makes us feel as though we have to choose.
Either we miss the person we love...
or we enjoy the life we still have.
Either we remember yesterday...
or we embrace today.
Either we cry...
or we smile.
But healing teaches us something beautiful:
Your heart can do both.
You can wake up missing someone with every part of your heart and still thank God for another sunrise.
You can look at an old photograph with tears in your eyes and then laugh at a wonderful memory.
You can wish desperately that someone were sitting beside you while still being thankful for the people God has placed around you today.
Grief and gratitude can live in the same heart.
💜 Being Thankful Doesn't Mean You Hurt Less
Sometimes people hear the word gratitude and think it means ignoring what hurts.
It doesn't.
God isn't asking you to pretend.
You can say:
“Lord, I miss them.”
And then say:
“Thank You for allowing me to love them.”
You can say:
“Lord, I wish they were here.”
And still say:
“Thank You for the people who are here.”
You can say:
“Lord, this isn't the life I planned.”
And still whisper:
“But thank You for walking through it with me.”
That's not denying grief.
That's finding God's goodness in the middle of it.
🌷 Thank God for the Ordinary Memories
When we lose someone, we often realize that the moments we treasure most weren't necessarily the big ones.
Maybe you miss hearing them walking through the house.
Their coffee cup sitting on the counter.
The way Momma answered the phone.
Daddy sitting in his favorite chair.
A spouse asking what you wanted for supper.
A child laughing in another room.
Grandma's kitchen.
Grandpa telling the same story for the hundredth time.
Those ordinary moments became extraordinary memories.
Perhaps today we can say:
“Lord, thank You for the ordinary days I didn't know were treasures.”
🌿 Don't Wait to Appreciate Today's Ordinary Moments
Grief teaches us how quickly ordinary moments can become precious memories.
So look around today.
Who is sitting at your table?
Whose voice can you still hear?
Who can you still call?
Who can you still hug?
Who keeps telling that story you've heard a hundred times?
Listen again.
Put down the phone.
Sit a little longer.
Take the photograph.
Make the recipe.
Drink the coffee together.
Say “I love you.”
Today's ordinary moments may become tomorrow's greatest treasures.
🕊️ Gratitude Can Become Part of Healing
You don't have to create a long gratitude list.
Start with one thing.
“Thank You, Lord, for getting me out of bed today.”
“Thank You for this cup of coffee.”
“Thank You for that beautiful memory.”
“Thank You for my family.”
“Thank You for the strength to make it through yesterday.”
And sometimes:
“Thank You, Lord, simply for staying with me.”
Gratitude doesn't remove grief.
But it can remind us that grief isn't the only thing remaining in our lives.
There is still love.
Still kindness.
Still purpose.
Still beauty.
Still hope.
And above all—
God is still here.
🌸 Their Memory Can Become a Thank-You
What if, instead of only saying:
“I wish they were still here,”
we also began saying:
“Thank You, God, that they were here.”
Thank You for their laughter.
Thank You for their love.
Thank You for what they taught me.
Thank You for the memories.
Thank You for the years, months, or even brief moments we were given.
We will always wish there had been more time.
But what a blessing that their life crossed ours at all.
Some people leave fingerprints upon our hearts that time can never erase.
🙏 Tuesday Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for today.
You know how deeply we miss the people we love.
You know the names written upon our hearts and the memories we carry everywhere we go.
Help us understand that gratitude does not mean forgetting.
Teach us to thank You for the beautiful moments we were given while trusting You with the moments we wish we still had.
Open our eyes to the blessings surrounding us today.
Help us treasure the people who are still here.
Remind us to make the phone call, give the hug, take the picture, listen to the story, and say “I love you.”
When grief brings tears, comfort us.
When memories bring laughter, help us enjoy them without guilt.
And when tomorrow feels uncertain, remind us that You will already be there.
Thank You most of all for Jesus and the eternal hope we have through Him.
In Jesus' precious Name,
Amen.
🌻 Today's Grief Support Challenge
Today, write down three thank-yous.
💜 One for Yesterday
“Lord, thank You for this memory…”
🌿 One for Today
“Lord, thank You for this person or blessing…”
🕊️ One for Tomorrow
“Lord, thank You that whatever tomorrow brings, You will be there.”
Then, if you're comfortable, share one of them with someone.
Gratitude grows when we give it a voice.
🤍 Need Prayer?
If you're missing someone especially deeply today, we would be honored to pray with you.
Simply write:
“I'm missing someone today. Please pray for me.”
You don't have to explain everything.
God already knows the name upon your heart.
🕊️ If Grief Feels Unbearable
If your grief becomes overwhelming or you are thinking about harming yourself, please reach out for immediate support.
📞 Call or text 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Help is available 24 hours a day.
You matter. You are loved. Your story is not finished.
💜 Agape Love Tuesday Reminder
You don't have to choose between missing yesterday and appreciating today. You can cry over the person who isn't here and smile at the people who are. You can treasure old photographs and take new ones. You can carry grief and gratitude together.
💜 Thank God for who was.
🌻 Treasure who is.
📸 Make memories today.
🕊️ Trust Him with who and what tomorrow brings.
Don't only say, “I wish they were still here.” Sometimes whisper, “Thank You, Lord, that they were here.” 💜
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