Articles
Grief
If we live long enough, we experience grief. The concept of grief in today’s culture can be surmised as a response to a loss of a loved one through death. However, it is also common for people to grieve over the loss of relationships (friends or family) not caused by death. Possibly, the hardest thing to grieve is the experience of losing of a loved one without the comfort of knowing they were obedient to the gospel. It is heartbreaking.
In my experience in the mental health field, grief is divided into five stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Most everyone processes through these stages when dealing with a loss. The Denial stage is where one attempts to down play the severity of the issue. An example of this is “This isn’t real. This can’t be true”. The Anger stage can look like anger or resentment towards the situation or projected onto others. The Bargaining stage is where one contemplates their role or short comings before said loss. The Depression stage is where one actually deals with the emotional toll of the loss they are dealing with. This can be where one isolates themselves from others. The last stage, Acceptance, is when one is emotionally able to process the loss and continue forward. There isn’t an absolute order or a definite timeline for these stages to occur. Some people may not even go through all of the stages depending on their situation.
God has given us many examples of grief throughout scripture. Job is a great example. He struggled with so much, including the loss of all he loved and his health. However, he maintained his faith in God. We also can look at Ruth and her struggles with the death of her husband, and how she used her time as a widow to serve God in serving Naomi. Even Jesus dealt with grief when it came to the death of Lazarus. He was passionate enough to mourn even though he was powerful enough to resurrect him. Jesus also dealt with grief in the time before his sacrifice for us.
Yet, God reminds us that He is still in control. In Psalms 30:5, David writes, “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” God tells us in this verse that grief does not last forever. He also lets us know He is here for us. An example of this is both Matthew 11:30 and 1 Peter 5:7. He tells us no burden of ours is too heavy and He loves us to the point of carrying those burdens for us when we are not able.
The most important way to navigate grief is through prayer. Our communication to God and expressing our concerns is the best way to start. Give him your burdens. Another way is to reach out to a brother or sister. We as a church have many great brothers and sisters who are ready to help and be supportive. They are just a phone call or text message away. We are all called to help one another. Galatians 6:2 states, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Romans 12:15 states, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” If we know someone is struggling, reach out to them. Encourage them to pray and offer to pray for them and with them. Let them know that it is okay to feel this way and that God is in control. Be good stewards if the situation calls for it.
- grief.pdf (49.89 kB)
