As we attempt to use logic to understand the mysteries and consequences of faith, we tend to fall into the trap of relying on the toolkit of science exclusively.

But there is more.

What we tend to overlook is that mysterious force, or energy that we identify as emotion – in particular, the emotion we label as “love.” Like so many other elements of our existence, the powerful emotion of love has many facets that we fail to recognize as having common roots.

We love our favorite foods. We love a perfect weather day, or a scenic landscape. We love a particular music or the smell of fresh-cut grass. We love our parents, our children, our spouse. In short, we attach that emotional label to anything that gives us pleasure.

But there is another side, a darker side, that we fail to acknowledge. The lack of love, the loss of love, the quest for love, all have powerful impacts on our lives.

Any of us who have lived a common human life has probably experienced a full range of love-base emotions. While we might relish those moments when love filled our hearts with joy, it is those darker occasions that tend to haunt our memories.

The opposite of love might be anger, jealousy, or even hate, but the most difficult to endure is probably mourning.

All those other “opposites” seem to be bumps in the road as we travel through life. Mourning, on the other hand, is truly in a class by itself. Whether it be a child, spouse, parent, or even the family dog, mourning the death of a loved one is a challenge we all dread, but must endure.

The loss of a loved one stands apart as the one irreversible, irretrievable moment in life. We cannot correct the event. We cannot reverse it.  And, we are forced to endure it – perhaps for the rest of a lifetime.

The truth about mourning the loss of a loved one is that the pain we experience is not for those who have passed, but for ourselves. We feel the pain of being unable to continue a valued relationship and the frustration of being unable to do anything about that loss.

Perhaps, the only thing we can do is embrace the power of love and use that power to heal.

We might start by recognizing and appreciating that God’s love is the power that created us and all we experience.

And that includes the cycle of life and death.

If we really are dedicated to applying logic to our faith journey, we must acknowledge that the death of living organisms is vital to God’s entire existence project. Without that element, our earth would long ago have been overrun by excess population, struggling to secure enough food and room to exist in peace.

Instead, we all endure the pain of losing a loved one as partial payment for the privilege of experiencing a life on planet earth. From that perspective, it is a small price to pay for a lifetime of gentle rains, gorgeous sunsets, and the gift of having that loved one as part of a life.

But, the greatest example of the incredible power of love is the reality that we have the ability to endure the pain of grief by tapping into that power merely by asking for, and accepting God’s peace. And we can experience that peace by realizing that our loved one has passed into a state of existence that knows only love and joy.

And that is the true power of love.