New Wine from Old Wounds: A Faith-Based Reflection on Grief

By: Onia Daniels. It convinces us that the loss we’ve experienced is the end—of joy, of creativity, of purpose. In those quiet, painful m

Grief has a way of blinding us. It convinces us that the loss we’ve experienced is the end—of joy, of creativity, of purpose. In those quiet, painful moments, we find ourselves surrounded by puddles of disappointment and tears, unable to see anything beyond the ache. It feels final. It feels empty. It feels like the end of us.

But what if grief isn’t the end, but a breaking point that clears space for something new?

Scripture reminds us in Luke 5:37 that “No one pours new wine into old wineskins.” Grief can feel like that breaking—unwanted and painful, yes—but necessary. When God removes something from our lives, especially something interwoven into the very fabric of who we are, it is often because He is preparing us for something new. Something deeper. Something greater.

What we lost mattered. It was part of us. That’s why it hurts so deeply. But God, in His infinite wisdom, knows that in order to pour something fresh, the container must be made new. And if we do not choose what fills that empty space, life will—often with distractions, detours, and despair.

We are invited to co-create with God again. To take that once-sacred place of love, connection, and meaning and prepare it for new life. Not to erase the past, but to honor it by allowing it to fertilize something beautiful. To let new wine flow through new wineskins.

Grief gives us the holy opportunity to ask: What can now grow from this loss? What healing, what ministry, what creativity can come from this broken place? We become like Christ—not just in our pain, but in our resurrection. Jesus bore sorrow, was buried, and rose with all power in His hands. And from His pain, a global movement of hope was birthed.

We, too, are called to take our brokenness and let rivers of living water flow from that place. To create new trees, new fruits, new wells for others to draw from. Grief is real. But it is not our permanent home. It is a sacred threshold—a burial that leads to a resurrection.

So grieve. Honor what was. But do not stay

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