The pain of a significant loss in your life may be so great that you wonder if you will ever get back to normal. Keep these keys in mind as you trust God to get you through this sad experience:
Let your sorrow be expressed. God designed your emotions to help you vent the pain of your loss. Don't stuff your feelings of sorrow inside; let them out so your heart can start healing.
Allow others to comfort you, support you and encourage you. God's design for healing your grief includes using other people. Let loving family members and friends cry with you and care for you in practical ways.
Give yourself time to grieve. Moving through the stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance - may take many weeks or months. Be assured that, as time passes, things will get better.
Hold on to the hope of God's goodness. If your loved one was a Christian, you will see him or her in heaven again some day. If you are not sure about his or her faith, be assured that God is loving and just, and He always does what is right.
Allow God to use you to comfort, support, and encourage others. Your experience of receiving comfort from others has uniquely equipped you to help others in sorrow. It may take time, but you will have an opportunity to pass along comfort, support and encouragement to someone who has lost a family member or friend. You can make a huge difference in how someone else gets through his or her loss.
1 comment:
That was really helpful. I often struggle with knowing what to say to someone who has lost a loved one, but now I do know what to say!
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