Grief: Coping with Loss

It's been 1 year and 4 months.  And it's been 2 months (almost three).

Loss. Something we all face, a common denominator. It levels the field for a brief moment.

I've learned a lot about grief, and loss. Not just my own, but others as well. It's almost a taboo subject, something whispered about, and rushed over. A permanent scab.  But should it be?  I don't think so.

I've read many books, heard many things and it all comes back to, Rest in God. Trust in God. Easy? Not always.  But it's something I cling too, when the waves threaten me once again.

Grief has no time table.

Grief has no care for gender, creed, age or circumstance.

But...

John 13:7 "Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I do you do not understand now, but you will in the hereafter.'"

John 14: 27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled; nor let it be fearful."

(Psalm 23; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Rom. 8:26; Phil.4: 6-7; Rev. 21:4)

Let me talk to you who have been hurting, have been grieving.

My heart aches when I see you going through grief. I've been down the road, and am still on it. It's not easy, by any means. It's tough work, this grieving the loss of someone.  While I still struggle with my own questions, I still want to encourage you. I want you to know, that God has a plan. He will give you what you need, as you need it. You might not know the 'whys'. You will have to learn to accept that, but no one is rushing you. He is not rushing you. That is why He asks you to rest. Rest and trust. The acceptance will come. The joy will come. The peace WILL be there. This I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. This knowledge lets me cry, rage and question Him.  Because I know He cares, He has a plan, He was before me, with me and after me. He KNOWS. He provides. I have seen it, tasted it, felt it myself. THIS knowledge gets me through the tough, the ugly and the intense.

Precious one, dear one. You are not alone.

I pray that you know His peace, that you feel His presence in ways not yet known to you. His comfort is tangible. Allow Him to stand for you, when you cannot. Allow Him to hold you, when you have no strength to reach out to Him. He is Abba, Father, Loving One. The Great Healer. Many His words be a balm to your soul.

In His Hands,

Peggy

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Resources for Loss:

'I Will Carry You' by Angie Smith (infant loss)

'In Faithfullness, He Afflicted Me' by Lynnette Kraft (multiple child loss)

'Why?' by Anne Graham Lotz ( general loss)

'A Grief Observed' by CS Lewis (spouse loss)

'Speak to My Hurt, God' by Kay Arthur (devotions for healing)

'Lord, Heal my Hurts' by Kay Arthur (devotions for healing)

Please share with us, what you've found to be helpful in your journey through grief. I look forward to seeing what has helped others.