Southern Africa: Death hurts, Lord

Lord, we know we should not question Your decisions… but I need You to know this:

death hurts.

Today I came back from a memorial service of one of the WOSSO sisters, Nothabo Sibanda, and I returned home carrying a heaviness I didn’t expect. My eyes were teary, my heart sore, and the truth is, I didn’t even know her personally. Yet the pain sat deep within me.

It made me think: if I can be this touched by Nothabo’s departure, what more for those who truly knew her? Her family. Her friends. And Lord… her child. That thought alone breaks something inside of me.

During the service, Mam Colleen shared something that pierced my heart. She said, and I quote —

A child prepares themselves for the death of their mother, but a mother never anticipates that she will have to bury her child.

Those words lingered. They echoed long after the service ended. They reminded me just how unnatural and cruel death can feel, especially when it comes too soon.

Weeks back I was working on a presentation. It was Nothabo Sibanda’s presentation. Little did I know that just weeks later, I would be sitting at her memorial service, listening to people speak about the life she lived and the impact she made. So many good things were said about her. One thing that stood out was this: she was a powerhouse. A woman of strength. A woman of presence. A woman whose light did not go unnoticed.

Lord, today I ask You to heal the broken hearts.

To comfort those who are grieving in ways words cannot fix.

To hold close those who feel like part of them has been buried too.

Rest in power, sisi.

Continue to shine up there like the star your sisters say you were. A star you are. 

Your light lives on—in stories, in memories, and in the hearts you touched.

Death hurts, Lord… but we trust you to carry us through the hurt.

(Written by Itumeleng Maloka, a WVL intern)