Disclaimer: I am no theologian.
From my layman's perspective, today this is what I know.
The "valley of the shadow of death" isn't for those already gone. For as Christians, if the deceased had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, we know they are in heaven - no pain, no shadows, no dark, no fear.
Today I am reading "valley of the shadow of death" from the viewpoint of the survivors - those left behind in the wake of a loved one dying. It is a struggle to look for the light. Sometimes a day by day, minute by minute struggle. A struggle that changes people. A struggle that brings families together and tears them apart. A struggle that magnifies imperfections and amplifies emotions in an ever-increasing crescendo that gets so loud and so piercing that one day it just explodes. Or silences. Or both.
Grief is hard.
Rest in peace Nick
1.20.87-9.30.11
A Psalm of David
1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3. he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4. 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. 5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
