How Do You Deal With Grief?

As turmoil escalates worldwide, grief has become a household norm.

Take a look at these actual life scenarios and see if you can identify with any of them: A sister, weighed down with helplessness, watches a loved one suffer from an incurable, debilitating disease and expresses feeling like being “in a bottomless pit covered with tons of stone.” A comforter responds, “The Lord never gives you more than you can bear.” The sister now envisions new stones being added and grieves all the more.

A sister mourns for a terminally ill relative, semiconscious and kept alive only with pain relief medication. A sister consoles her that “the Lord is giving him time to be saved!” A heartbroken sister tries to cope with the death of a loved one and receives calls from comforters who break down crying. She has to terminate these calls.

Grief is something most of us have experienced in our lives, from the loss of a pet as a child to the loss of a loved one later in life. Unfortunately, we will cease to grieve only in the earth made new, so we should all prepare to deal with it while here on this earth.

People have different ways of dealing with grief.

In Bible times, people would tear their clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and shave their heads. There is no right or wrong way to express your grief.

Comforters, on the other hand, can definitely be right or wrong in their response, which can cause positive or negative effects. Some people, after losing a loved one, initially prefer to be alone, maybe to think of the good times, or just to weep.

That needs to be respected, and it is considerate to enquire before visiting when visits would be welcome. Other grievers like to have people around, as talking is therapeutic for them. Job seemed content with his friends sitting beside him silently for days.

Then, unfortunately, they began to speak.

His wife further compounded his grief by telling him to curse God.

Before His crucifixion, a grieving Jesus left His disciples and went to agonize alone with His Father. We need to assess each person’s needs and meet them accordingly.

When in doubt, a hug, a prayer, or a hot meal works perfectly for many.

And if you cannot control your tears, please send a text message.

Cecelia Grant