Joy comes in the mourning
Elephants react to the death of a family member in fascinating ways. They are the only animal in the world known to visit the place where their loved ones died, sometimes for several years in a row afterwards.
At the grave, the elephants will touch the bones gently with their trunks and feet. They focus on the parts that were most recognizable in life, like the tusks and faces. They often make sad sounding noises or become quiet and remain still for a long time. Sometimes, elephants will even caress each other with their trunks as if they are comforting one another.
Perhaps you have been through a time of grief and can relate to the elephants. Maybe your grandparent died, or you lost your beloved pet dog. Many other difficult situations can also happen in life which cause us to experience painful feelings like grief and loss, like a good friend moving away to a faraway city. Whatever their cause, feelings of grief are some of the most difficult emotions we will ever have to face.
Elephants can show us a lot about how to cope in these difficult moments. The way they comfort each other shows us that hard times are always easier when we have friends and family by our side. The way they express their feelings by making sad noises shows us that crying and being sad is one of the most natural and healthy ways to mourn. And just like the elephants, spending time in silence can also be a powerful and meaningful way to heal.
Finally, the way the elephants carefully touch and caress the bones reminds us to spend time remembering those we have lost. Little memories, like the way our grandpa smiled, or the way it used to feel when we cuddled our dog, won’t bring them back, but they can make us feel so much better.
The elephants’ behaviour, and Jesus’ words, show us that even though mourning is hard, it is not something we need to fear. We can be tempted to run away from our hard feelings and from mourning. And the truth is, sometimes it is good to take some space to reflect. But when the time is right, just like the elephants, we can return. Over time God can turn our most painful memories into something precious and beautiful.
HOLDING OUT A TRUNK
It can be difficult to know how to help our friends or family when they are grieving or find the right words to say. Here are some ideas.
Just listen – you do not have to feel pressure to make people feel happy. Listening to how someone feels shows them you care.
Offer to pray with them –Just to know that someone is praying can be a big support. God’s comfort goes deeper than we know.
TRUNK TICKLERS
Where do Italian Elephants live?
Tusk-any
Why is it hard to win an argument with an elephant?
They are always stomping off
What is the largest ant in the world?
An eleph-ant
TUSK TIDBITS
Deep calls to deep
Elephants call to one another using sounds below the human hearing range, called “infrasound”. It lets them talk to other elephants up to ten miles away!
Record breakers
Elephants are the largest land animal in the world, and some of the longest lived too.
Well developed
An elephant pregnancy lasts almost two years, over twice as long as for humans! Believe me that is a long time – just ask your mother!
Liked this post?
Then check out this episode on the intriguing immortal jellyfish!
Aaron Diamond
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